LONDON — Prince Harry, home from his abandoned military mission to Afghanistan, said he hopes to return to combat zones as soon as possible.
Harry returned to England on Saturday after serving for 10 weeks in Afghanistan. His secret tour of duty — due to last until April — was abruptly aborted after a magazine and Web sites disclosed details of his whereabouts.
The prince’s mission had previously gone unreported as part of an agreement, designed to protect the 23-year-old prince and his fellow soldiers, between the Ministry of Defense and major news organizations.
“‘Angry’ would be the wrong word to use, but I am slightly disappointed. I thought I could see it through to the end and come back with our guys,” Harry said after landing at an air force base.
Harry — a cornet, or second lieutenant — said he hoped to return to Afghanistan soon and has already asked his commanding officer to approve a new mission.
“I would love to go back out, and I’ve already mentioned it to him that I want to go out very, very soon,” he said.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, head of Britain’s armed forces, said Sunday that any future deployment would depend on whether Harry poses a risk to his colleagues.
“I would have to be clear that the risks to the operation, in the widest sense of the people deployed on that operation, would be no higher than they would normally be,” Stirrup told Britain’s Sky News television.
Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt, head of Britain’s army, said there is no immediate prospect of the prince returning to the front line for 12 to 18 months.
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