Iraqi group vows to kidnap Harry

"One of our aims is to capture Harry, we have people inside the British bases to inform us on when he will arrive," Abu Mujtaba, a commander in the Mahdi army, the Shia militia loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, told the Guardian.

He added: "Not only us, the Mahdi army, that will try to capture him, but every person who hates the British and the Americans will try to get him, all the mujahideens in Iraq, the al Qaida, the Iranians all will try to get him."

His comments will provoke further debate about whether the Prince should be sent to Iraq, for his own safety and that of his comrades.

After one of the bloodiest months so far for British troops in Iraq, speculation has continued about whether Prince Harry's arrival there would increase the risk of attacks on his colleagues in the Blues and Royals.

His planned deployment next month comes after the death of 11 servicemen, including two on April 19 who were doing the same job the royal officer was expected to take up on his six-month tour.

Friends of the 22-year-old Prince told the BBC he would be "very disappointed" if he was not allowed to go but would stay with the Army.

He has told people he is not afraid to die but is anxious about the risk to his comrades, friends told the Daily Mail.

The Prince's heart has always been set on being a long-term career soldier but he could find himself having to reassess his position within the Army if he is prevented from going to Iraq or confined to a less risky desk job in the region.

The Duke of York, the last royal to be sent to a conflict zone and, like Harry, born the spare to the heir, said in a documentary in 1991: "Had I not gone to the Falklands my position within the Navy would have been untenable."