The Ministry of Defence will announce tomorrow whether Prince Harry will be sent to fight in Iraq.

The Prince, who is third in line to the throne, is a second lieutenant in the Blues and Royals, a regiment rumoured to be among those units whose deployment to Iraq will be confirmed by the Defence Secretary, Des Browne.

If he is sent to war, Prince Harry will follow in the footsteps of his uncle, Prince Andrew, who flew helicopter missions for the Royal Navy during the Falklands conflict. He has repeatedly stated his intention to serve on the battlefield if called upon, despite fears that his presence could bring added danger to the men and women with whom he is fighting.

Prince Harry will find out whether his precise unit of Scimitar fighting vehicles — Squadron "A" of the Blues and Royals — is heading for Iraq during a statement by Mr Browne to the House of Commons.

The Defence Secretary is scheduled to describe the make-up of 1 Mechanised Brigade, which is being sent to replace 19 Light Brigade in southern Iraq, for a six-month tour of duty. As part of the Household Cavalry, the Blues and Royals are expected to provide armoured reconaissance to the force.

Asked whether Prince Harry would join his unit if it was deployed as part of the brigade, a spokesman for the MoD said: "You will know tomorrow."

Several newspapers reported last week that the Blues and the Royals had already been informally told that the regiment will be posted to Iraq, where it will be expected to provide security and support for Iraqi units in the province of Maysan, which is still regarded as too unstable to hand over to local control.

When a Hercules C130 aircraft crashed in the province last week it was blown up because it was deemed too risky to try to recover and repair it. The British troops currently in Maysan have pulled out of the main town of Amarah because of the instability there.

Prince Harry's possible exposure to combat has been the cause of delicate negotiations between Clarence House and the Ministry of Defence. He has reportedly threatened to leave the Army if he is kept away from the fighting and it remains to be seen whether he would accept the compromise of serving as a staff officer at headquarters rather than on the front lines.

No such choice is likely to be open to his brother, Prince William, who is also a Cornet in the Blues and Royals but second in line to the throne. Like his father, the Prince of Wales, William's career in the armed forces will see him kept out of harm's way wherever possible.

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