'Depressed' Harry admits he wants to quit the Army early

The 22-year-old, who is on a training exercise in Canada, has told friends he "just couldn't face the humiliation" of being withdrawn from frontline service again.

Instead, the prince hopes to join his father and grandmother to become a full-time working member of the Royal Family.

In particular, he plans to travel extensively in Africa and develop Sentebale, the charity he set up in memory of his mother which supports Aids orphans in the povertystricken kingdom of Lesotho.

A source close to the prince said: "Harry has wanted to serve in the Army since he was a small boy and the debacle over his deployment to Iraq has hit him hard.

"The poor lad really is beside himself and more than a bit depressed. He keeps up nearly by the hour on what is happening with his boys in the Gulf.

"He is trying to be positive about what has happened because the situation out in Iraq is so unusual, but knows in his heart of hearts that pulling him out was the death knell for his Army career."

The friend added: "He has not put a timeline on it yet but he has definitely changed his mind about the Army being his full-time career and will leave earlier than was previously thought.

"He has decided he will devote his time to charity work and travel. Harry has a list that his mother once made of things she wanted to help to change in the world and he wants to check all of them off.

"Harry is quite a complex character in that way.

"He is an outgoing lad who loves a beer, a cigarette and night out on the tiles, but he can be incredibly sensitive too and is very passionate about his work in Africa, even though he doesn't always articulate it particularly well.

"Don't be surprised if you see his girlfriend, Chelsy, doing a bit of good work as well. Harry has been trying to invigorate everyone around him to help those whom need it."

Reconnaissance officer Harry had been due to go with his 12-strong troop from the Blues and Royals to Iraq to begin a six-month tour of duty at the beginning of last month.

But the head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, reversed the decision after receiving intelligence that to send Harry to the warzone would put both himself and his men at 'unacceptable' risk.

One insurgent group had threatened to kidnap the young royal.

The prince is currently on exercise with the British Army Training Unit in Alberta, Canada, in preparation for a possible deployment to Afghanistan this summer.

He is said to be encouraged by the move but concerned because there is already talk that the posting is in jeopardy due to rising casualties on the battlefield.

"That's why he feels he must leave," the friend added. "He just cannot bear the thought of this happening week in, week out."

Harry's spokesman has insisted that the prince is "fully committed" to his Army career but, significantly, has not disclosed how long he expects to service for.

According to sources, the prince will probably stay for another couple of years as a face-saving exercise but is likely to quit after that.

The friend said: "There is talk of using him to train other officers, something that his father and, interestingly, his stepmother, the Duchess of Cornwall, have both made very encouraging noises about.

"Harry is, however, dead set on his charity work, although he has also talked about doing something like rugby training for children as well, which he did very successfully in his gap year."

Harry's charity, Sentebale, which means 'forget me not' in the language of Lesotho, has rapidly expanded. It has just set up a new office in the country and is starting to award grants thanks to Harry's fund-raising efforts.

In an interview to mark his 21st birthday, the prince warned that he wouldn't hesitate to quit the Army if he were held back from front-line service.

Last night Clarence House said: "Prince Harry remains committed to his Army career."

A royal source said: "It is up to him how long he wants to stay in the Army. No one will put pressure on him either way."