London: A British newspaper reported on Sunday that Prince Harry was scheduled to begin final training for deployment to Iraq with his Army regiment – but the British defense ministry said no decision had been made on whether his regiment would be deployed.
The News of The World said the prince, who is third in line to the throne, would take part in a two-day pre-deployment course which includes instruction in basic Arabic phrases.
Harry, known as Cornet Wales by his regiment – the Blues and Royals – has trained to command 11 soldiers and four Scimitar tanks.
A defense ministry spokesman said the Blues and Royals were among a number of regiments being considered for deployment to Iraq in April.
"Even if the regiment is selected, it is not the case that the entire regiment would be deployed. If his unit was selected, it would be down to the unit commander to determine whether it would be appropriate for Harry to go," said a defense spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, in line with policy.
The defense ministry has previously confirmed Harry could go to Iraq if his unit was deployed there, but said he might be kept out of situations where his presence would jeopardise his comrades.
Prince William, currently training as a troop leader within the Blues and Royals, cannot be deployed to war zones because he is second in line to the British crown.
Britain has 7,000 troops based in southern Iraq and plans to reduce numbers through the course of 2007, government officials said.
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