Were the British Army right to ban Prince Harry from going to Iraq?

zowar1363

He would have been a "target", and would have put the lives of his fellow soldiers in danger! I think it is best that he stay out of the war.

Jean-Luc

Suspect this story is far from finished and will turn out to be a major balls up.

Historically, it was the role of kings to lead their forces on the battlefield. In modern times, our royal family has fought in some form in every major conflict, often in the front line.

This is so obviously a political decision and possibly against the wishes of the Army. Esentially it's saying it's too dangerous for Harry to go. Doesn't that destroy the government lies that Iraq is "settling down" and the "insurgents" are on the run?

As far as I'm concerned, if it's too dangerous for Harry, it's too dangerous for everybody elses sons (and daughters) The war is illegal, totally based on lies - the political whim of B-liar and GW and his neo-con warmongers.

We should be out of there NOW and putting our efforts into prosecuting B-liar and GW as the war criminals they so obviously are.

DAVID M

Why not turn the whole thing around? Put it out that Prince Harry is being sent to Iraq as A DECOY to lure the bad guys out so the good guys can kill even more of them?????????????

bigplops

His father fought in the first Gulf War (James Hewitt)
so he should follow in his footsteps.

robert x

No ! harry should go with his man and do the job he trained for..

jackbutler5555

I can not see how the Prince could be deployed without endangering his life and the lives of the people in his unit. The British Army did what it should have done -- what it could only have done.

ken742386

Yes the British were right not to let him go since he is such a high value target. The extra precautions to protect him would put a strain on military resources.

steph c

I think the right decision was made. As I watched the news last night and listened to parents ask why their sons and daughters had to go, just because their name wasn't 'Harry', I felt they had really missed the point. Surely the lives of their sons and daughters will be in less jeopardy without Harry being there? I don't think for one minute he's receiveing preferrential treatment. The reality is Harry would be a huge trophy for any opposing army or militia just because of who he is.

Korak

Yes,
As a career military man, I would be very concerned for his welfare and that of his men. While his desire to serve is both admirable and honourable, his presence on the battlefield would put his men in extreme danger. The enemy would stop at nothing to get him and separate his head from his torso. His men would obviously fight very hard to endeavor to prevent this and in so doing would suffer casualties. For this very reason I do not think that Great Britain should allow their Royalty to serve in the most honourable of professions (Infantry). It is unfair to the unit.
It would be different if the enemy had some degree of honour, but they are muslim and do not.

des c

Yes

AO099

They were right. Why should proletariats die on behalf of a bourgeoisie? It would be like chess. You're sending a King to be protected by all the pawns, just because you can....stupid

Geoff S

I am not a Royalist and never will be,I have no time for the Royals. But to give Harry his due, he did want to go but the Powers that be decided against it, "what a surprise". Again using the Uniform as a Status symbol. When are they going to realise that wearing a bloody uniform does`NT make you a soldier, doing the job does, and the people who are saying that it would put the guys out there at greater risk is hogwash, I was a Para for fifteen years and believe me the guys out there would give him no more preference than any other soldier, in other words he would have to take his chances like all the other guys do. AS for him getting shot, that's the chance you take being a soldier. I think he would have been in more danger from the Americans than the Iraqis.
Good on you Harry for wanting to give it ago mate, its not your fault the morons in Whitehall put the blockers on it.
If they had no intention of letting him do his job then he should never have been allowed to join the Army in the first place, its an insult to all the guys out there.

blazoner2002

Was it really the British Army that prevented him from going, after all it was the men in suits that sent our Forces to IRAQ - not the generals and such as they might make you believe.

JoJo

Yes, not for his own sake but for those other men who`s job apart from fighting, would have had to be constantly guarding him. It would put other lads at more risk that they already are. I`m glad he`s not going. Also could you imagine the outcry if he was shot by fiendly fire??? Especially if it was the Americans who did the shooting.

medic041282

Yes they were. But everyone is blameing Prince Harry and the British Army for not sending him to Iraq, when in fact its the media's fault. These days because of the media, the terrorists know what is happening before the british troops do and that is dangerous. The media should not report on things like this until its long over.

private

Yes they were right. Sending him to Iraq would be playing into the jihadist hands. Extremists would try to target people close to the Prince and the base. If they succeeded in doing anything at all it would probablyt appear on those crazy jihadist websites as some kind of brave act. There's no point feeding the jihadist terrorists with new targets. It would also be a bad idea sending "foriegn" royals to an independently soveriegn Iraq. We're aiming for Iraqis to run their own country and the presence of foriegn leaders taking position of power would give out the wrong signals. People try to make UK government and troops look bad but we're not the ones planting the clorine and suicide bombs that kill people every day.

kleo

during world war 2 there was a saying loose lips cost lives why the hell did the media publish it because quite frankly he had every right to go with his troop to iraq the freedom of information act was the most stupid thing to ever grace this country i mean the terrorist wouldnt have known had it not been for the media come on wheres everyones common sence

Lorne

Yes - the media had given out too much information on his movements and vehicle and everything else - they should have been made to shut up.

It reminds me of the Falklands where they cleverly told the Argentinians their shells weren't exploding - they started using live shells instead - which didn't please the Navy.

Prince Andrew was allowed to just get on with his job when he saw military service during the Falklands Conflict.

bellyman

he should go, as he wants to.... his regiment will still be a target even without him,,,, everybody out they is a target... so its just saying his life is better then the rest of the people out there..

i don't think it was right... as he could of gone and he could of just done a desk job in HQ out they, still would of not been fair but at least it might of been a boost for the troops to have a stupid Royal fighting-serving in IRAQ...

trish

Yes they were right! whichever decision they made would have had drawbacks at least this way they are not putting anyone in more danger than they are already in.

The most unbelievable thing is that once again they have got themselves into a no-win situation. IDIOTS

sham805

The army was wrong. As a soldier, it is his job to fight the war. The problem is that we are not looking at ALL our people as targets. Everyone there is in harm's way, and if his government's intelligence community is so porous as to let the enemy know where a particular soldier is, they shouldn't be fighting anybody!

pheromonefudge

The Army was wrong to ban him. Let him fight. He has a right to follow his heart and convictions. And as for endangering his squad, thats rich. His squad are in the most dangerous place on Earth already, arent they? Facing an all out attack may be preferable to random suicide bombers. Even if he did go, he'd be followed by tons of special ops soldiers anyway. Thats got to be be safer than living in Slough, surely?

le VicSter

The British Army has no right to ban Harry from deploying to Iraq. They're just scared of the great possibility of Iraqi's trying to kill him. Woopdy-doo.

If he want's to die with his fellow men, then so be it. Let him go.

What's one royal death compared to the thousands and thousands of deaths the innocent American military service members have seen?

redflower

Well, he is royalty and could be king one day, but yes, I believe his men would be in more danger, if he were to lead them, think of what a coo it would be for the terrorists to capture him or kill him.

Mega Therion

The whole purpose of the British army is to protect his citizens and, especially, the king, when they be one, and the queen of England.

Prince Harry would fail at meeting his purpose and basically spit in the face at the British army at saying, i want to go fight the war, those man train and give their lives so he doesn't have too, and hi is not living to what is he suppose to be, the royalty and heir to the British throne.

Rob Roy

It would obviously increase the danger to his fellow soldiers to an unnecessary degree and that is unacceptable. The army despite all the media hype is just a pastime to the Royals who have no real intention of making a career out of it. In any case with their pampered guarded lifestyles how in all fairness how could they?. Despite all the stories about his Uncle Andrew it was a different situation in the Falklands and he had no call to get involved in the land based fighting. What he actually did we will probably never know as it is an 'official secret'.
Could someone interperet Solo Kin's rant for me please?.

Pinkflower

Not sure on this one, i know he said he wanted to go but the army have to think about the other men out there and what danger it brings to them.

suziejoy

it would cost the army money for extra secutity if he did go out there he would have been targeted

srracvuee

Harry will be regarded by most of us for his guts i really think he wanted to go and i daresay he's feeling quite peeved at the generals decision but as i know when your in the army you do as they say but i wish there was a general around at my time to stop me going to Alamein and that bloody desert

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