Prince Harry Will Train With Australian Army Before Quitting A Decade Of Military Service

Prince Harry will train with the Australian army units in the country’s north, west and east coasts during his four-week secondment to the Australian Defense Forces, which will begin next month, officials said, according to the Associated Press (AP). Kensington Palace had announced his departure from service on Monday in a statement, after weeks of rumors that suggested Capt. Harry Wales, as he is known in the British Army, was planning to leave the service.

Harry will be embedded with several Australian army units and regiments in Sydney, Darwin and Perth, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, who is Australia's Defense Force Chief, said, according to the AP. The Australian tour is reportedly an extension of the prince’s regular British Army duties. He is also scheduled to attend the 100th anniversary of the Anzac Day in April with his father, according to a report last month. Harry also plans to spend “a significant period abroad” and do charity work in Africa, media reports said.

"We have prepared a challenging program that will see Capt. Wales deploy on urban and field training exercises, domestic deployments, as well as participate in indigenous engagement activities," Binskin said in a statement, according to the AP, adding: "While all our units are highly capable, we have selected those units that best utilize Capt. Wales' skill sets and give him some experience of the diverse range of capability we have within the ADF."

The prince is also likely to be attached with an armed reconnaissance helicopter squadron in the northern city of Darwin, along with an aviation unit, which supports a commando regiment in Sydney, Neil James, CEO of the Australian Defense Association think tank, said, according to AP. The elite Special Air Service Regiment, which uses helicopters in military exercises, is based out of Perth, while tropical Darwin hosts as a training base for the U.S. Marines.

“After a decade of service, moving on from the army has been a really tough decision," Harry had said, in the statement Monday, adding: "From learning the hard way to stay onside with my color sergeant at Sandhurst [military academy], to the incredible people I served with during two tours in Afghanistan -- the experiences I have had over the last 10 years will stay with me for the rest of my life. Inevitably most good things come to an end and I am at a crossroads in my military career."