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Prince Harry has announced he is to leave the British army after 10 years’ service that has seen him twice fight on the front line in Afghanistan.
The 30-year-old said today it had been a “really tough decision” to end his military service in June, but added that he was looking forward to the next chapter in his life.
His decision will come as a surprise to many royal-watchers as the prince was living out his boyhood dream and seemed quite content with army life.
Harry, who will be pushed down to fifth in line to the throne by his brother Prince William’s second child, due in April, will end his military service after a four-week secondment to the Australian Defence Force in April and May.
“I am considering the options for the future and I am really excited about the possibilities,” he said, in a statement released by his Kensington Palace official residence.
After his time with the Australian military, the prince will undertake an official tour of New Zealand, and then spend time doing voluntary conservation work in sub-Saharan Africa.
Before the end of the year, he will begin volunteering with the British Ministry of Defence’s recovery programme supporting the rehabilitation of wounded, injured or sick service personnel, a subject close to his heart.
However, he is keeping his long-term options open, though he will continue to carry out royal duties on behalf of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.
Harry graduated from the elite Sandhurst officers’ academy in 2006 and joined the Household Cavalry as an armoured reconnaissance troop leader.
He served twice in Afghanistan. He initially served as a battlefield air controller for 10 weeks in 2007-2008 until a media leak cut his tour short.
Keen to return to the front lines despite fears he would be a top Taliban target, Harry retrained as a helicopter pilot and served in Afghanistan in 2012-2013 as an Apache co-pilot gunner.
Now a captain commissioned in the Household Cavalry, he currently has a desk job organising commemorative army events in London.
Most recently he has served as a staff officer in the army’s London headquarters, playing a big role in bringing the Invictus Games — an international sports competition for wounded troops — to Britain.
“After a decade of service, moving on from the army has been a really tough decision,” he said.
“I consider myself incredibly lucky to have had the chance to do some very challenging jobs and have met many fantastic people in the process.
“From learning the hard way to stay onside with my colour sergeant at Sandhurst, to the incredible people I served with during two tours in Afghanistan - the experiences I have had over the last 10 years will stay with me for the rest of my life. For that I will always be hugely grateful.”
Harry is the younger son of Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, and the late Diana, princess of Wales.
He has often seemed more comfortable as a soldier than in his royal duties, although he has been visibly energized by his work with charities for wounded veterans.
“It’s very easy to forget about who I am when I am in the army. Everyone’s wearing the same uniform and doing the same kind of thing,” Harry said in an interview after returning from Afghanistan in 2013.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
 
 


Afghanistan veteran Prince Harry announces 'tough decision' to quit the UK army

Britain's Prince Harry mans a 50 calibre machine gun on the observation post at JTAC Hill in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan in this January 2, 2008 file photo. Photo: Reuters

Britain's Prince Harry rides an abandoned motorcycle past his Spartan armoured vehicle, in the desert in Helmand province in Southern Afghanistan, on February 21, 2008. Photo: AFP

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