He paid tribute to Trooper Ratu Babakobau, 29, killed by a mine strike on Friday. Harry is the only royal to see active war service for quarter of a century, since his uncle, Prince Andrew, piloted helicopters in the Falklands War.

He must be especially proud because it so nearly didn’t happen. Army chiefs were reluctant to send him to the war, fearing he would be a special target for the Taliban.

But eventually he was secretly deployed to Helmand Province last December.

Once there he persuaded officers to let him work as a Forward Air Controller – identifying himself to allied pilots using only the codename Widow Six-Seven.

Unknown to the Taliban the third-in-line to the throne was based 500 metres from enemy front lines in Garmsir.

His four-month tour was cut short after 10 weeks when a news blackout was breached by a US journalist in February.

But after serving four weeks, Harry qualified for the Afghan Operational Service Medal.

The head of the army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, said there was no prospect of Harry going “anywhere else” for a year or 18 months.

The Mayor of Windsor yesterday called on the journalist who breached the blackout to issue a formal apology.