LONDON (AFP) — Prince Harry, who has been fighting the Taliban on the front line in Afghanistan, admitted in an interview released Thursday that he sometimes wishes he was not a privileged, well-known royal.
Speaking to reporters before he left for the war-torn country in an interview that was supposed to be held back until his safe return, the 23-year-old said he hoped that he would be treated as "just a normal officer".
And asked whether, following an about-turn by Britain's top military brass that meant he would not be posted to Iraq last year, he ever wished he was not a prince, Harry replied: "I wish that quite a lot actually."
"But yes, you know (elder brother Prince) William and I have said numerous times that there's a lot of opportunities that we miss out on as well as we also got a lot of chances -- for who we are."
The prince said he felt that being with the troops in Afghanistan was a good opportunity to be treated as just another soldier.
"I think dressed in the same uniform as numerous other people, thousands of other people in Afghanistan will give me one of the best chances to be just a normal person," he said.
"That will be massively important for me, it could be a turning point."
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