Prince Harry in Afghanistan

I was briefly following this news story and in the past few days it has blown up on the news and cnn. Prince Harry has apparently joined the British Military and was deployed to Afghanistan, the public got wind of it, and now he is being sent home.

This last part has me with mixed feelings. Yes he is royalty, but should he be treated any different that a soldier who has done two tours of duty, barely able to support his family and fighting for what he believes in? Back in the day, royalty rode at the for front of their troops as a symbol of moral and strength, so removing Prince Harry can go good and bad IMO.

Good: Any risk of a terrorist targeting is eliminated.

Bad: Possible lack of support from those who look up to Prince Harry and see him 'leaving' the troops because of who he is. Show British Military as weak in the eyes of the terrorists.

What is your opinion on the matter?

 

Yes,i agree with you,but there is a big difference in war today compared to war in the past.In our days,ppl use guns and stuff,whereas in the past they used swords,spears and so.Having prince harry in the front lines,would only get him killed,and that would cause the citizens of england become furious,maybe leadining to an even bigger war.The thing with war today is that brute force does not play ANY role,for example,someone weaker(with that i mean someone with less strength) can easily kill someone stronger by using a gun...So i think that it was a good idea making prince harry return...Just my opinion tho'! xD

 

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I can't decide.

There is the whole concept of the royal family, diplomacy and such... but that isn't his job. He worked his ass off to become a soldier at Sandhurt, and should be allowed to fight for his country, as anyone else should, even still, the fact he is thought well upon by a lot of the British nation means there would be a big (if not huge) response to his death, should it turn out that way. My final opinion is:

He should stay.

 

I do agree, back in the day nobility that was considered the most strong rode with the troops and such. Prince Harry joining the military and going there was a good thing.

However, now that people know about it, he would become a very big target and probably does not have the rank to well, not get himself in danger and spotted. The weapons and rules of engagement have changed a lot since the days when nobility would be mingled in with the troops and be there to do things and learn combat and such. They didn't have sniper weapons that could take a person out from a half mile away etc. As such, since his position was possibly compromised, I think it was reasonable they moved him out of there. The taliban would like nothing more than to take a very good stab at any country right now involved and that would be a great blow to England. I am glad to see he did go there though and tried to keep quiet about it. But these things happen.

 

True, back when royalty was fighting the good fight, troops would look up to their noble leader for...well leadership. But this isn't a time where nobility rides on the baccks of horses swing a sword, their in tanks holding their guns close.

And I agree with Repliku, he'd be a big target. Basic rules of warfare, you kill nobility the troops lose the will to fight. ANd if he got killed while on the front lines, not only would that be another troop killed, but also a big impact on the whole of Britain. Though we no longer have a monarchy of Kings and Queens taking control of the whole country, the Royal family symbolise Britains history and legacy, and as a symbol they have great meaning, of power, but if the symbol is destroyed than we will all lose hope of the war in Iraq.

It was just the best cause of action. Though, I still think Harry is a slight imbecile from the fact that when he got back and he hadan interview on the news, all he said is that it was unfortunate, and would love to go back. When he could have actually said something to inspire a bit of encouragement into the troops by saying something like 'I want to go back to help fight the enemy and maybe even save lives out there' but, meh, its his own choice.