Prince Harry leaves British Army
Time for the bugles to call Sunset for Prince Harry's military career: Capt. Harry Wales officially left the British Army, Kensington Palace announced Friday.
It was not a surprise; the palace and Harry himself had said months ago that he would leave after 10 years in the army, during which he served two tours in Afghanistan and rose to be an Apache helicopter pilot/gunner.
In a press release, the palace said the fifth-in-line to the throne had a "fulfilling" career and considered it a "huge honor" to have served. His final months in service included a month-long attachment with the Australian Defence Force and a visit to New Zealand.
Now, also as previously announced, Harry, 30, is off to Africa for three months to work on conservation projects in the southern part of the continent. Wildlife conservation is a special passion for Harry, brother Prince William and father Prince Charles.
Harry has worked with conservation experts from several organizations, including the Zoological Society of London, to design a program that will "give him a first-hand insight into the urgent challenges faced by people on the ground working to protect Africa's natural heritage and support both wildlife and local communities," the statement said.
The palace said that Harry plans to join park rangers on anti-poaching patrols to protect elephants and rhino. He plans to work alongside leading veterinarians who try to save save animals who have survived poacher barbarities such as the removal of their tusks. And he will also work with park managers to learn about new technologies being used to enforce wildlife protection.
Traditionally, British royal men serve in the military, at least briefly. But Harry has said his decision to attend the British military academy, Sandhurst, and join the Army were the best decisions of his life, having taken easily to the discipline and camaraderie of a military career.
He also reaped kudos for his service in Afghanistan, which he had to fight for given the reluctance to send someone so close to the throne to a war zone where specific threats were made against his life.
This week, Harry was in the news after he hosted first lady Michelle Obama, her daughters Malia and Sasha, and her mother, Marian Robinson, for tea at Kensington Palace.
And instead of an army red cap, he sported the traditional top hat at Royal Ascot with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.