Prince Harry has won a battle with defence chiefs and will return to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban.

The prince has already served one tour as a forward air controller directing air strikes. Now the 24-year-old is likely to be more in the thick of it as a lieutenant with the Blues and Royals.

After his first deployment, Prince Harry requested a second tour. But the move was ruled out for security reasons.

During that last deployment, New Idea magazine broke a media blackout by revealing the prince’s secret tour of Afghanistan.

The British Ministry of Defence and the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt, feared another leak could put the prince at risk of abduction or attack. But that’s changed.

“He has finally won the argument that with one mission under his belt he has the experience and training to go back,” an army source told a British newspaper yesterday.

His argument was said to be that he couldn’t command troops as an officer if he hadn’t gone through what they would go through.

The prince’s spokesman would neither confirm nor deny the report. (via Herald Sun)