Prince Harry Current Events 19: May 1-17, 2007

[Sister Morphine]

BBC NEWS | UK | Prince Harry not to serve in Iraq

Prince Harry will now not serve in Iraq. I tell you what, this government couldn't organise an orgy in a brothel.

What a mess this has been. If it's been deemed to dangerous for him to serve now, why wasn't it too dangerous for him to serve waaaaaaaaay back when they said he was going to? Why all of a sudden NOW is it too dangerous and logistically impossible? I'm with you....this has been a complete screw-up from day one.

 

[cowarth]

Harry is dealing with this disapointment in a very mature way.

 

[Avalon]

What a mess this has been. If it's been deemed to dangerous for him to serve now, why wasn't it too dangerous for him to serve waaaaaaaaay back when they said he was going to? Why all of a sudden NOW is it too dangerous and logistically impossible? I'm with you....this has been a complete screw-up from day one.

Richard Dannatt, Head of the British Army, said in his statement about Harry's deployment that he had always left the possiblity the Prince wouldn't go open. And he made up his mind after visiting Iraq recently, where he found many threats (some reported, some not) were aimed directly at Prince Harry. Hence he thought the risk is unaccaptable not only for Harry but also for those around him.

Edit: Here is the quote from Sir Richard Dannatt - Full article here.

"Over the last few weeks I have made a particular point of saying that I would keep under constant review my decision to deploy Prince Harry to Iraq with his Troop. As with any military operation, circumstances do change, and therefore so should decisions, if necessary.
"I have decided today that Prince Harry will not deploy as a Troop Leader with his Squadron. I have come to this final decision following a further and wide round of consultation, including a visit to Iraq by myself at the end of last week.
"There have been a number of specific threats – some reported and some not reported - which relate directly to Prince Harry as an individual. These threats place not only him but also those around him to a degree of risk that I now deem unacceptable. Now that I have decided that he will not be deploying with his Troop, the risks faced by his Battlegroup are no different to those faced by any other Battlegroup or other of our Servicemen in Iraq.
"I have to add that a contributing factor to this increase in threat to Prince Harry has been the widespread knowledge and discussion of his deployment. It is a fact that this close scrutiny has exacerbated the situation and this is something that I wish to avoid in future."

 

[HRH Kimetha]

Harry is indeed a professional soldier and will deal with this setback. He is now free to crosstrain into another military position or may take his expertise in training others coming up from behind him in battle principles. There is always Afghanistan. But, it will have to be a convert operation to get Harry out of England into Afghanistan, then back to England before the press hears of it and splashes him all over their cover.

 

[Verde Esmeralda]

I kind of knew from the very beginning that this wouldn't happen...

At 11th hour Army confirms Prince Harry will not serve in Iraq

 

[cowarth]

Harry would be serving in Iraq IF the media had left him alone.

 

[iowabelle]

Not that I wanted Harry to go, but I am disappointed that he won't be able to use his training. The Army needs to find the young man a meaningful job.

I wonder whether the Army has considered sending Harry off on some humanitarian missions, especially since he has already expressed an interest in this kind of work. (It seems like the U.S. Army and other branches of the military have humanitarian missions, so I would assume the British do also.)

 

[georgiea]

Not that I wanted Harry to go, but I am disappointed that he won't be able to use his training. The Army needs to find the young man a meaningful job.

I wonder whether the Army has considered sending Harry off on some humanitarian missions, especially since he has already expressed an interest in this kind of work. (It seems like the U.S. Army and other branches of the military have humanitarian missions, so I would assume the British do also.)

I agreed with you. I hope the Army will find him a meaningful job.

 

[Roslyn]

Well,the military has positions for anything and everything. Everything from Janitorial and supply chain command, to 4 star generals. There must be something meaningful that he can do without going into combat. Strategy, corps of engineers, medical orderly, train as a pilot, a linguist, an interrogator, or anything else. I hope.

Exactly! And every one of these departments needs competent, dedicated management, so there's lots of worthwhile things for Harry to do apart from blasting the enemy to smithereens.

 

[MARG]

Exactly! And every one of these departments needs competent, dedicated management, so there's lots of worthwhile things for Harry to do apart from blasting the enemy to smithereens.

What you say is true. However, that is not what you go to Sandhurst for. That is not what his specialist training was for. That is not what his troop is for. Whichever way you look at it, Harry is now in an invidious position.

Yes, he can become the Poster Boy for polishing the seat of his pants behind a desk. All safe and secure, unlike his peers and his unit. I don't think there is any way situation can be called a win.

Unless something drastic happens in the very near future I think we will see a lot more of Harry playing polo and partying up large, followed by a resignation after a decent amount of time has passed. What else has he got. They haven't even left him with any self respect. "OK, we all knew from the start that this was a dangerous job, but if that's what you want, well here is you entrance to Sandhurst".

I cannot believe the MoD is that incompetent. They sent someone to Iraq to find out if it was too dangerous? War is dangerous. Even a child could have told them that, without the trip to Iraq.

That the Chiefs of Staff at the MoD are that indecisive, and have vacillated and procrastinated over just this one extremely sensitive issue, makes me wonder at their competence and therefore the safety of all military personnel in harms way.

 

[kpusa1981]

It is really stupid they are not sending him beecause he has been trained for it and besides not sending him means that they have to find another 2nd Lt or LT to take his place and lead his troop.

 

[Sister Morphine]

What you say is true. However, that is not what you go to Sandhurst for. That is not what his specialist training was for. That is not what his troop is for. Whichever way you look at it, Harry is now in an invidious position.

Yes, he can become the Poster Boy for polishing the seat of his pants behind a desk. All safe and secure, unlike his peers and his unit. I don't think there is any way situation can be called a win.

Unless something drastic happens in the very near future I think we will see a lot more of Harry playing polo and partying up large, followed by a resignation after a decent amount of time has passed. What else has he got. They haven't even left him with any self respect. "OK, we all knew from the start that this was a dangerous job, but if that's what you want, well here is you entrance to Sandhurst".

I cannot believe the MoD is that incompetent. They sent someone to Iraq to find out if it was too dangerous? War is dangerous. Even a child could have told them that, without the trip to Iraq.

That the Chiefs of Staff at the MoD are that indecisive, and have vacillated and procrastinated over just this one extremely sensitive issue, makes me wonder at their competence and therefore the safety of all military personnel in harms way.

I think this post about sums it up. Bravo, bravo, bravo.

 

[branchg]

When you join the Army, you go where they tell you to go. It doesn't matter whether you're an officer who graduated from Sandhurst or a new recruit off the street.

The fact is Prince Harry deploying to Iraq presented an unacceptable risk not only to him personally, but the rest of his unit. When you consider that just a month ago, Iran was holding British soldiers as hostages under questionable pretenses, the matter becomes one of national security as well.

The world is a complicated place right now.

 

[kpusa1981]

He is the same age as William and went to the same school - Eton. It is therefore safe to assume that he does know William.

He is 28 according the orginal article which means when William started at Eton Lycett-Green would been doig A-levels.

 

[Sister Morphine]

He is 28 according the orginal article which means when William started at Eton Lycett-Green would been doig A-levels.

So based on this information, is it safe to assume that they've probably never even met?

 

[Skydragon]

Well,the military has positions for anything and everything. Everything from Janitorial and supply chain command, to 4 star generals. There must be something meaningful that he can do without going into combat. Strategy, corps of engineers, medical orderly, train as a pilot, a linguist, an interrogator, or anything else. I hope.

Nothing that Harry has been specifically trained to do!

The person I feel sorry for is Richard Dannatt, who, probably under pressure from others, had to make this difficult decision.

 

[HRH Kimetha]

It is really stupid they are not sending him beecause he has been trained for it and besides not sending him means that they have to find another 2nd Lt or LT to take his place and lead his troop.

Apparently, there were other factors involved that didn't make the news front out of Iraq. Perhaps infiltrators into the British Army by Iraq Military "spies" that would have spelled death before Harry even changed his boots.

 

[Roslyn]

What you say is true. However, that is not what you go to Sandhurst for. That is not what his specialist training was for. That is not what his troop is for. Whichever way you look at it, Harry is now in an invidious position.

Yes, he can become the Poster Boy for polishing the seat of his pants behind a desk. All safe and secure, unlike his peers and his unit. I don't think there is any way situation can be called a win.

Unless something drastic happens in the very near future I think we will see a lot more of Harry playing polo and partying up large, followed by a resignation after a decent amount of time has passed. What else has he got. They haven't even left him with any self respect. "OK, we all knew from the start that this was a dangerous job, but if that's what you want, well here is you entrance to Sandhurst".

I cannot believe the MoD is that incompetent. They sent someone to Iraq to find out if it was too dangerous? War is dangerous. Even a child could have told them that, without the trip to Iraq.

That the Chiefs of Staff at the MoD are that indecisive, and have vacillated and procrastinated over just this one extremely sensitive issue, makes me wonder at their competence and therefore the safety of all military personnel in harms way.

I agree with everything you say. It seems to have been a snafu from the start.

I am still staggered that it has taken the MoD this long to work out they couldn't send Harry to Iraq. IMO he should never have gone to Sandhurst or been trained for a combat role. That's been unfair to him.

Maybe he'll show more maturity than I expect of him in view of his temperament and at his age, and accept the hand the fates have dealt him and settle into a non-combat role within the army. But, again, why train him for combat in the first place? I won't be surprised if he leaves as soon as he can.

I think Harry's situation highlights the plight of the spare today. What can he do? He needs something worthwhile to occupy himself, but what? He's always wanted to be a soldier, and that's admirable, but not practical. What else is he suited for? If he does leave the army, what will he do?

He's young, and enthusiastic, but he's not academically gifted or that way inclined. Ideally he would have gone to university and studied something that would have equipped him for a diplomatic career or some such safe but worthwhile career. But that's not Harry. His dreams of being a soldier have just been dashed and I don't know what he's going to do. I expect a bit of rebellion from him, and considering what we have seen of his habits that rebellion could be extreme.

 

[Roslyn]

Nothing that Harry has been specifically trained to do!

Skydragon, what other specialty fields within the army are realistic options for Harry? Seems to me that some of those mentioned by Empress would require tertiary qualifications which Harry does not possess and is unlikely to acquire.

 

[cowarth]

The world is a complicated place right now.

When will the world EVER be safe enough for Harry to deploy and serve?

 

[Lady Bluffton]

I am not surprised at all by the decision not to send Prince Harry.

I would have been greatly surprised had he been deployed anywhere near Iraq.

 

[Sister Morphine]

When will the world EVER be safe enough for Harry to deploy and serve?

Never. He's famous. He's a prince. Somewhere, someone will want to kill him to make a point.

 

[Elspeth]

So far that hasn't stopped members of royal families serving in the armed forces, although I think the Duke of Kent ran into some problems with serving in Northern Ireland. Life in the armed forces is never safe, but in Iraq he wouldn't be fighting an army, he'd be fighting civilians, and that's a different proposition.

 

[Madame Royale]

j/k

All is not lost, I bet theres plenty of filing work that needs to be done. And I'll take a tea, white with two thanks...

On a more understanding note, I can understand his great dissapointment but it is the way it is.

 

[Sister Morphine]

All is not lost, I bet theres plenty of filing work that needs to be done.

And I'll take a tea, white with two thanks

Harry doesn't want to sit around and play secretary all day, filing paperwork and fetching people drinks. I feel profoundly bad for him, because all the work he put into being ready and prepared to see combat is swirling around the bowl right now. I wasn't happy with the proposition of him serving, but I made peace with it because it was what he desperately wanted to do. Someone else here made this point a lot better than I ever can.

 

[Royal Fan]

I Fel bad for him He wanted to go Royal men have been sent to conflict zones sooo........Just hope this doest turn into" Edward and the Marines part 2"

 

[HRH Kerry]

Just heard about it on the nightly news. I know that he wants to choose his own path. I feel sorry for him too but the fact remains that he is pretty important to the monarchy. I don't think Harry would want to put his comrades in harms way either. Tough on him either way.

 

[Madame Royale]

Harry doesn't want to sit around and play secretary all day, filing paperwork and fetching people drinks.

I made clear my remarks were nothing but harmless banter. Making light of a situation which really, would have never come to fruition imo.

And while I feel a little bad for the lad, the reality is what it is.

 

[Bosana]

Just heard about it on the nightly news. I know that he wants to choose his own path. I feel sorry for him too but the fact remains that he is pretty important to the monarchy. I don't think Harry would want to put his comrades in harms way either. Tough on him either way.

Exactly right. He would be a danger to his men.
And I can't help thinking that, while Harry may want to choose his own path, I'm afraid that it was already chosen for him the day he was born into the British Royal family.

 

[Eliza]

I'm sure Harry must be pretty disappointed and I feel sorry for him but did he really think (in all truth and honesty, given his status in the monarchy) that the govt will actually let him go?!!! Even if they don't worry about his personal safety, the govt will worry about the other soldiers in his group. I think he has to face reality that due to his status, his career/life in the military will be somewhat limiting.

I read in some news report that there's been debates in the country about his joining the troops and some saying that he shldn't be given special treatment. I reckon those who made this comment really aren't looking at the big picture.