Prince Harry felt he was a “solder first and a royal second” during his 20s, when his desire to pursue a career in the Army and go to war was stronger than the need of finding a suitable role in the Royal Family, according to royal biographer Duncan Larcombe. The Army and Buckingham Palace represented two very separate entities in the prince’s life – with his military career being way more “appealing” to him for the “normalcy” it would bring against the lifestyle coming with unveiling plaques and attending royal banquets, the biographer suggested. Citing a senior royal source, Mr Larcombe wrote in his book Prince Harry: The Inside Story: “Harry may have accepted he was a royal, but as far as he was concerned, his military career had nothing whatsoever to do with his accident of birth. 

“Being a prince and being an officer in the British Army were, in Harry’s mind, two totally separate entities.

“This was one of the main reasons a military career was so appealing to Harry.

“As an officer, he could be normal.

“His grandmother may have been the head of the Armed Forces, but this didn’t make a jot of difference in his mind.

“He was a soldier first, and a royal second.” 

Prince Harry “committed himself 100 percent” to his military training in the hope he would be sent to Iraq in 2006, to serve in the war still raging in the country once ruled by dictator Saddam Hussein.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) decided to deploy him despite being the then third-in-line to the throne, making one of his biggest dreams come true.

The source described Harry’s over the moon reaction to this piece of news, saying: “This was all Harry had dreamed of since being a boy.

“Even as a young child, he had a fascination with soldiers, tanks and all things military,

“But from the day he set foot at Sandhurst, he knew that his dream of serving his country could be put under threat for political reasons. 

“Despite the doubts, throughout the end of 2006 Harry had committed himself 100 percent to the regiment’s pre-deployment training.

“He had shown real determination to make the grade, even performing with distinction during exercises in Scotland and South Wales.

“So when his private secretary broke the news that he would be allowed to command his men, Harry punched the air in delight.

“The very last thing on his mind was the potential danger in Iraq.

“As far as Harry was concerned, he was a soldier and he wanted more than anything to serve his country, whatever the risks.” 

However, the young royal was never allowed to head to Iraq, as shortly after the MoD publicly announced his deployment, Prince Harry was told he could not be sent to war out of fear his fame would attract even more risks onto other soldiers.

This decision represented a “hammer blow” for Harry, according to Mr Larcombe.

He wrote: “This was a hammer blow for Harry.

“As a prince, there were very few careers open to him.

“A life in the Army was all he had dreamed as a young boy.

“One of the appeals of being a soldier was that it satisfied his yearning to be ‘normal’.”     

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