Prince Harry's presence in Iraq will be a guarded secret

Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne, will be sent to Iraq as late as possible and his presence would be kept a guarded secret. The move to send him late is being contemplated so as to give his comrades enough time to assess the dangers posed by fanatical rebels who are planning to kill him.

London, May 3 : Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne, will be sent to Iraq as late as possible and his presence would be kept a guarded secret. The move to send him late is being contemplated so as to give his comrades enough time to assess the dangers posed by fanatical rebels who are planning to kill him.

The move would also give the troops in the Royal's unit - the Household Cavalry's A Squadron - the chance to be in a position and let them gain combat experience before his arrival.

And, the ploy also cuts the time when the Prince would be at risk, as he will almost certainly be one of the firsts of his unit to leave Iraq at the mission's end.

Last night an Army source said that Prince Harry will be treated as a special case as soon as he arrives in Iraq.

"If the men are all familiar with their new surroundings before Harry arrives, they will be far sharper to the dangers of the inevitable first attack. Whether he likes it or not, the timing of his arrival means he is being treated as a special case.

Everyone in the regiment is sick of hearing about Harry's deployment and the risks to himself and what that means for us.

None more so than Harry himself who is desperate to just get out there and get on with the job he has been trained for. Getting him out late is no bad thing for the rest of the lads," The Sun quoted him as saying.

Harry's unit begins its six-month duty tour this week with most of his colleagues flying out over the next seven days. The Royal's 1 Mechanised Brigade replaces 19 Light Brigade as the main fighting troops in southern Iraq.

The area (Southern Iraq) has seen a massive increase in violence in recent months as insurgents battle to oust British forces early. As many as 12 British troops were killed in April - making it the worst month on record since the end of the invasion in 2003.

ANI