Prince Harry, who the British defence ministry confirmed is fighting on the front line against the Taliban in Afghanistan, reckons his mother would have approved.
LONDON: Prince Harry, who the British defence ministry confirmed is fighting on the front line against the Taliban in Afghanistan, reckons his late mother princess Diana would have approved.
"Hopefully she would be proud," he said in Afghanistan last month.
His comments were to have been withheld until his return from the volatile southern province of Helmand until news of his deployment was leaked.
"She would be looking down having a giggle about the stupid things that I have been doing, like going left when I should have gone right, finding myself in an awkward position earlier today."
The 23-year-old royal, who was just 12 when his mother died in a Paris car crash in August 1997, said he had received a letter from his elder brother Prince William saying his mother would have been proud.
But he admitted he does not spend too much time thinking about it amid attacks by what he and colleagues call "Terry Taliban."
"You know, at the end of the day I am an officer and you're supposed to be able to look after everybody and that's the way it is -- you come last," he said.
"So I have not really had a chance to sit down and think about it much."
Harry, who had been set to be posted to Iraq last year before an about-turn by Britain's top military brass over security fears, also admitted that he could be a "top target" for extremists now he has fought in Afghanistan.
The royal, one of Britain's 7,700-strong force in southern Afghanistan also said that once news of his deployment was made public, "every single person that supports them will be trying to slot me."
Prince Harry, admitted in an interview released on Thursday that he sometimes wishes he was not a privileged,well-known royal.
Speaking to reporters before he left for the war-torn country in an interview that was supposed to be held back until his safe return, the 23-year-old said he hoped that he would be treated as "just a normal officer".
And asked whether, following an about-turn by Britain's top military brass that meant he would not be posted to Iraq last year, he ever wished he was not a prince, Harry replied: "I wish that quite a lot actually."
"But yes, you know (elder brother Prince) William and I have said numerous times that there's a lot of opportunities that we miss out on as well as we also got a lot of chances -- for who we are."
The prince said he felt that being with the troops in Afghanistan was a good opportunity to be treated as just another soldier.
"I think dressed in the same uniform as numerous other people, thousands of other people in Afghanistan will give me one of the best chances to be just a normal person," he said.
"That will be massively important for me, it could be a turning point."
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