Prince Harry barred from fighting in Afghanistan

LONDON: Senior commanders in the British army have decided not to send Prince Harry to fight on the front line in Afghanistan as it might be "too dangerous" for the young Royal, a media report said on Sunday.

Although a formal decision on the Prince's future posting is yet to be made, sources in the Prince's regiment were quoted as saying that they believed it was too dangerous for him to be deployed in Afghanistan.

The decision not to send Harry -- a Second Lieutenant in the Household Cavalry regiment -- to the front line was taken after senior officers reviewed the Prince's personal safety in the wake of savage fighting, the 'Mail on Sunday' reported.

With a spurt in Taliban attacks in recent months, the officers could not risk a "constitutional crisis" by putting Harry's life on the line, the newspaper said.

"Second Lieutenant Wales is an officer in a very famous regiment and we would like to see him deploy. It would do wonders for his soldiers and the morale of the regiment and the British Army, but we must respect that he is a member of the Royal family", the newspaper quoted a regimental source.

The decision might come as a blow to the Prince who had recently threatened to quit the army if not allowed to fight alongside his fellow officers.

"If I am not allowed to join my unit in a war zone, I will hand in my uniform," Harry had told senior officers in April, the newspaper said.