Prince Harry is to be pulled out of Afghanistan amid fears for his safety, sources have said.
The 23-year-old Household Cavalry officer, who has been fighting the Taliban in Helmand Province for the past 10 weeks, is set to be flown home to the UK.
The move, which will be a bitter blow to the Prince, follows the breakdown of a news blackout deal agreed across the UK media after foreign websites leaked details of his deployment.
The final decision on whether to extract him is due to be taken by the Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup after discussions with the head of the Army, Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt.
It was General Dannatt who last year faced the task of announcing a U-turn on plans to deploy the Prince - a Cornet or Second Lieutenant in the Blues and Royals - to Iraq.
Intelligence picked up a series of specific threats to Harry and his comrades in Iraq after details of his planned deployment were announced and received widespread publicity.
It is feared that the revelation that the third in line to the throne has been fighting in Helmand would increase the tempo of attacks on British forces by the Taliban.
No details are available on when he will arrive home.
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