Prince Harry arrived back in Britain on Wednesday after his five-month tour of duty in Afghanistan, a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman told AFP.
The 28-year-old Apache attack helicopter co-pilot, who had been spending two days’ post-deployment “decompression” time at a British base in Cyprus, returned to Brize Norton military airfield in southern England on a military plane.
Harry, third in line to the throne, has said he killed Taliban fighters during his 20-week stint operating out of Camp Bastion, Britain’s main base in Afghanistan’s restive southern Helmand Province.
He is likely to travel with his unit, 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment Army Air Corps, to their headquarters in Suffolk, eastern England.
Harry is likely to have sunk his first beer in 20 weeks on Cyprus, as troops are given four cans of lager to help them unwind after serving in Helmand.
Akrotiri airbase and the nearby Episkopi garrison on the south coast of the eastern Mediterranean island are used as a stop-off point to help soldiers readjust to normal life after the stress of combat fighting.
Britain has retained two large sovereign base areas on the island since Cyprus gained independence in 1960.
Harry said insurgents were put “out of the game” by his unit during his tour and compared shooting militants to playing video games, provoking an angry reaction from the Taliban.
Prince Harry back in Britain after Afghan tour
