hellomagazine.com

Prince Harry jets into Alberta for military training

SEND TO A FRIEND

5 JUNE 2007

Much to the delight of Canadian royal watchers, Prince Harry jetted into Calgary International Airport on a British Airways flight from London early on Thursday morning. After being greeted by two Army officers he was driven to the nearby British Army Training Unit at Suffield. "They got him in and out of there very quickly," said a source at the airport, who described Prince Charles' youngest son as casually dressed.

After Army chiefs announced three weeks ago they wouldn't be sending the 22-year-old Prince to Iraq due to the risk it posed for him and his fellow soldiers, the young royal is now undergoing live ammunition training at the facility. It is understood to be in preparation for possible deployment to Afghanistan.

After settling in at the base - where security had been tightened in the wake of his arrival - he was seen laughing and joking with fellow soldiers in its cafe bar. "He was just talking to the boys," said a source. "He just blends right in."

While it is unclear whether Cornet Wales, as he is known in the Army, will be sent to the war zone, top British military sources have confirmed the third in line to the throne is currently undergoing "useful" military training in Canada. However, a senior Whitehall source pointed out: "It would be going too far to read anything concrete into it".