Prince Harry, Now Single, Is Coming to America
The prince will spend two months training as a helicopter pilot.
Aug. 20, 2011 — -- Prince Harry of Wales, the third in line to the British throne, is coming to America.
"Harry is going to America, following in the footsteps of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge," said ABC News royal correspondent Katie Nicholl. "He will be going to Arizona. But not for pleasure or for official duty. This is for work."
Prince Harry, who is already an experienced helicopter pilot, will refine his skills on the Apache attack helicopter, doing life-like environmental training, live fire and tactical exercises.
His spokesman said the prince will arrive sometime in the next couple of months.
He will spend at least two months in the Arizona and California desert, preparing himself for what he reportedly hopes is a return to the fight in Afghanistan.
After completing the training, Harry, a British army captain, will be cleared for deployment. His squadron is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan next year, according to reports in the British press.
The 26-year-old prince served in Afghanistan as an air traffic controller for 10 weeks in 2007-08, but had to be pulled from the field when it became public that he was there.
"The whole point of this is that he's retrained to be an Apache helicopter pilot," Nicholl said. "He wanted to fly but most importantly he enjoys an anonymity up in the air. He's not on the ground, he can't be identified, that famous mop of ginger hair can be hidden under a helmet. And he's up there free to fly."
Military service has been part of the royal lineage. Harry's Uncle Andrew flew choppers in the Falkland War, and his grandfather was a navy man during World War II.
Furthermore, Prince Harry will come to America as a single man.
"Well, Harry will be going to America as a single boy," Nicholl said. "Of course he is Britain's favorite bachelor. Harry is said to have split up with Florence Brudenell-Bruce, very attractive upcoming actress and model who everyone knows as Flee over here. And she's an underwear model so if you have your sights set on Harry, you better bring your A-game."
But with a lot of flying and studying, Harry won't have much time for extracurricular activities during his time in the United States.