London: He may have no plans of being 'wrapped in cotton wool', but it seems that British royal Prince Harry won’t be seeing any frontline action in Iraq anytime soon, for his presence has been deemed to be 'too dangerous' both for him, and the men serving with him.
Senior officials have admitted that although discussions are underway to send soldiers from the young royal’s Household Cavalry regiment to Iraq next year, he may not be one of those on board.
A senior Ministry of Defence source said that though Harry was determined to serve on the frontlines, his presence may make both him, and the other soldiers with him at an increased risk.
"We always knew when Prince Harry joined us that deployment would be an issue. Both he and his brother have made clear they want to pursue their careers with us as fully as possible - which for any officer means serving alongside their men on the frontline," the Daily Mail quoted a source, as saying.
"But we also have to accept that Harry's presence will attract attention which may, on occasions, increase the risk to his soldiers and himself. If this happened a decision would be made about his deployment or continued presence," the source added.
And while friends insists that 21-year old Harry is determined not to 'sit on his arse back home' while his men are facing the enemy, MoD sources warn if there is the slightest chance that his deployment in Iraq will endanger the lives of others, then it will be impossible for him to go.
"The truth is that if there is even the slightest chance of Harry's deployment in Iraq leading to an upturn in activity among insurgents looking to bag themselves some headlines by killing a prince, then we would have no option but to seriously re-consider putting him on the ground," one source said.
"We sympathise with his frustration but he must understand that it is not only himself that would be at risk. The final decision on whether to send him will rest with the commander in charge of operations at the time and Harry will be officially told of it around Christmas," the source added.
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