According to today’s Daily Mirror newspaper, Prince Harry may be deployed to Iraq by the end of this month.

What are we to make of that? The Mirror is a red-top tabloid with anti-Royal sentiments.

My guess is that it’s picking up on a story, reported in Royal Anecdotes, that Harry’s Private Secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, has been negotiating with the Ministry of Defence to deploy the Prince to a safer area behind the front-line, where he could work on liaison and other staff duties. There may have been some agreement at staff level at the MoD. Ultimately, though, this will be a political matter.

A Royal spokesman declined to comment on the article, while the Ministry of Defence said it was “entirely speculative”.

Yahoo News is reporting : “No final decisions have been made on which units are even taking over,” a spokeswoman said. “When it is made, then Parliament will be told first in the normal way.”

Yahoo continues : “Harry is likely to be in charge of 12 soldiers in light armoured vehicles performing reconnaissance missions in the desert, the newspaper said. Defence Secretary Des Browne is expected to announce the news officially on February 26, the report said.”

“The final details are being sorted, but he is definitely going,” the Mirror quoted the source as saying. “Naturally, his Royal status has to be taken into account — but he will see action.”

So we have contradictory reports from the same source here — always a cause for raised eyebrows on any story. First we have, “his Royal status has to be taken into account …”, suggesting the Lowther-Pinkerton position may be adopted. Then we are told, “Harry is likely to be in charge of 12 soldiers in light armoured vehicles performing reconnaissance missions in the desert”.

If Harry does go, and it’s still wide open, I would be very surprised if he carries out desert reconnaisance. A suitable compromise and form of words is more than likely.

After Richard Kay’s scoop on the clubland turf war that caused Prince Harry to be warned against going to certain nightclubs by the Royal Protection Squad, it’s now emerged that Prince Wiiliam and Kate Middleton have avoided this fate by preferring the South Kensington joint, Boujis, which is not involved in the dispute.

It seems the two Princes have been invited to the opening in March of Peter Stringfellow’s new nightspot, The Wardour.

Stringfellow is the king of the lap-dancing scene in London, but has pulled back from the edge by turning some of his venues into normal nightclubs over the weekend when bloated businessmen are not around.

Why else would he invite such fragrant Princes to his glossy opening?

My bet is they don’t go.

Many people say Prince Charles and Camilla hardly do any public engagements. You only have to look at the Court Circular in The Times (London) to knock that idea on the head.

Despite news of Camilla’s forthcoming operation, here are the details of the couple’s engagements for yesterday, February 12:

Clarence House

February 12: The Prince of Wales this afternoon received Mr Anthony Juniper (Executive Director, Friends of the Earth).

His Royal Highness later attended a Conference with the chairmen and chief executives of The Prince’s charities in the State Apartments, St James’s Palace.

The Prince of Wales this evening attended the Seventy Fifth Anniversary Dinner of the Parlour Club at Goldsmith’s Hall, London EC2.

The Duchess of Cornwall, President, National Osteoporosis Society, this morning opened Hathaway Medical Centre, Middle-field Road, Chippenham, and was received by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire (Mr John Bush).

Her Royal Highness this afternoon received representatives from the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers.

…………………..

If you add getting dressed appropriately for each occasion, plus being briefed on what’s expected of you, and maybe prepare a formal speech, I think we often underestimate how hard the Royal Family works for the nation.