Prince Harry arrives in Afghanistan for four-month deployment
PRINCE Harry returned to the front-line today where he will serve four months in Afghanistan.
The third in line to the throne landed in Afghanistan during the early hours and under the cover of darkness to embark on his second tour of duty on the front line.
Prince Harry, who spent 10 weeks in Afghanistan in 2007/8 will fly the Apache helicopters in the fight against the Taliban.
On arriving at Camp Bastion, the Prince, wearing his combat uniform, looked relaxed, if a little tired and gave a thumbs up after his long journey.
Prince Harry is shown the Apache flight-line by a member of his squadron
The royal climbed up to peer into the cockpit of one of the apache helicopters and inspected its weapons.
Prince Harry, like any soldier, considers it a great honour to represent his country
After about 10 days of acclimatisation and training to hone his skills, Captain Harry Wales - as he is known in the Army - will be set to go out on operations in his role as co-pilot gunner.
The Queen and Prince of Wales were both fully briefed about his return to operations and Charles is "immensely proud of his son", St James's Palace said.
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Harry has made no secret of his desire to return to active duty, having spent the last three years changing his military direction from an armoured reconnaissance troop leader to an Army helocopter pilot in order to be posted back to Afghanistan.
A St James's Palace spokesman said: "He's approached the deployment with a range of emotions like any other soldier and feels both pride and anticipation as he deploys for a job he's trained for, for so long.
"Prince Harry, like any soldier, considers it a great honour to represent his country in Her Majesty's armed forces wherever it chooses to deploy him."
Prince Harry views an apache helicopter in Afghanistan
Harry is now set to put his nude antics in Las Vegas behind him after reportedly receiving a dressing-down from a senior officer.
Harry's return to frontline duty comes after 18 months of rigorous training, both in the UK and the US, after which he won a prize as the best Apache co-pilot gunner when he qualified in February.
He will fly various types of mission while stationed in Afghanistan, from escorting RAF Chinook helicopters carrying troops or equipment to targeting Taliban fighters who have attacked ground troops.
Before deploying, Harry said his goodbyes to his immediate family, staying with his father at his Scottish retreat Birkhall on the Queen's private Balmoral estate during the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of August.
His brother the Duke of Cambridge wished him well when they met at William's home at Kensington Palace earlier this week.