Prince Harry to be sent to Iraq

London: Prince Harry will be sent to Iraq, the British government has confirmed.

The royal, who is third in line to the British throne, will be deployed with his regiment, the Blues and Royals.

He will become the first member of the royal family to serve in a war zone since Prince Andrew flew helicopters in the Falklands in the 1980s.

The announcement was made by defence secretary Des Browne on Thursday.

While it is not yet known what role he will play in Iraq, Prince Harry had reportedly threatened to quit the army if he was prevented from serving for security reasons.

Playing an active role with his regiment has been high on the prince's priorities for some time.

He revealed in a TV interview in 2005: "The last thing I want to do is have my soldiers away to Iraq or wherever like that and for me to be held back home."