Prince Harry is taking part in intensive training with the Gurkhas to improve his fighting skills


The prince, 22, is currently serving as an officer in the Blues and Royals but is said to be joining the prestigious Nepalese brigade for a short period.

He is reportedly undergoing a four-day exercise with the 3rd Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles in the Brecon Beacons, Wales.

The Gurkhas, historically from the Himalayan mountain region of Nepal, are renowned for their bravery and strength.

Recruited by the British Army for more than 200 years, they were first enlisted to fight against uprisings in India in the eighteenth century.

advertisementThey were thought to be naturally warlike and aggressive in battle, and to possess qualities like courage, loyalty, self sufficiency.

Last night neither the Ministry of Defence or Clarence House would comment on the prince’s current whereabouts but military sources suggested he was taking part in a special operation with the Gurkhas.

Harry, who holds the rank of 2nd lieutenant, has remained on training exercises in Britain since the rest of his unit was deployed to Iraq two months ago.

The head of the Army made a last minute decision not to post the prince alongside his regiment as Iraq had become increasingly dangerous.

There were also "specific threats'' relating directly to Prince Harry as an individual in Iraq, the Army said.

The decision disappointed Prince Harry, who had been determined to see action on the front line, and confirmed the prince's greatest fear of being treated differently to his comrades.

"The last thing I said was `There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my sorry arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country'," he said last year.

-Telegraph