Prince Harry hits out at critics

The 27-year-old recently qualified as an Apache helicopter pilot.

He reiterated his determination to put his military training into practice.

He served in Afghanistan during 2007-08, but his tour of duty was cut short when foreign websites broke a media blackout on reporting details of his service.

In an interview with CBS News, Harry said: “I’ve been there once. I’ve served my country. I enjoyed it because I was with my friends. And, you know, everyone has a part to play.

“All these people talking these stories of, ‘Oh, he’s been trained as Apache pilot, he’s never going to see active service, he’s never going to get to the front line’. These people live in a ridiculous world to even think that.

“You can’t train people and then not put them into the role they need to play.

“For me personally, as I said, I want to serve my country. I’ve done it once, and I’m still in the Army, I feel as though I should get the opportunity to do it again.”

Harry spoke to the US broadcaster at the end of his 10-day tour to the Caribbean and Brazil to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

In a part of the interview broadcast previously, Harry suggested his royal duties could be off-putting to women.

Asked if royalty lived up to the fairytale, the Prince joked: “No, not at all. As any girl would ever tell you.

“It’s sort of, ‘Oh my God, he’s a prince’. But no. The job that it entails - I mean look at me, I’m 27 years old, and not so much searching for someone to fulfil the role, but obviously, you know, finding someone that would be willing to take it on.”