Harry due to arrive back in Britain

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The Queen's 23-year-old grandson, who is third in line to the throne, will be met by his brother William and father Prince Charles at RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire.

He flew out of Afghanistan prematurely amid fears for his security and those soldiers fighting alongside him.

He was sent to Afghanistan in December. But for security reasons and in agreement with the Ministry of Defence, the British media did not report the deployment.

That agreement collapsed after Web sites in Australia, Germany and the United States leaked the news on Thursday.

The ministry said the decision to withdraw him was "taken primarily on the basis that the worldwide media coverage of Prince Harry in Afghanistan could impact on the security of those who are deployed there, as well as the risks to him as an individual soldier."

Harry has been active during his 10 weeks of combat, calling in air strikes against Taliban positions, carrying out foot patrols and firing a heavy-duty machine gun at suspected fighters.

It is the first time a British royal has been deployed in combat since the Falklands war 25 years ago, when Harry's uncle Prince Andrew flew helicopters.

After knowledge of his presence became known, there were heightened concerns he could become a target of the Taliban, al Qaeda or other Islamist militants operating in the country, endangering the prince as well as fellow soldiers.

Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta hailed Harry's involvement, calling it "a sign of solidarity for Afghans in their anti-terror fight... it shows that the Prince is ready to combat this serious challenge."

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