The decision to send Prince Harry to Iraq was doomed from the beginning.

On a strictly military basis, there was every reason for the head of the Army to make the judgment that if a member of the Royal Family wished to enter the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and take up a career in the cavalry, it was right and proper that he served with his men wherever they were deployed.

However, any male British officer cadet who completes the course at Sandhurst will almost inevitably be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan or both. These are the Army's two major overseas operations, and Prince Harry was bound to go to one or other at some stage.

Despite the fact that Prince Harry, to his credit, was determined to lead his men in Iraq, and despite the support given by the Queen and the Prince of Wales, there always had to be a question mark over the prudence of sending the third in line to the throne to one of the most dangerous missions the British Army has had to endure for a long time.

It must have been clear to even the most narrow-focused military man in the Ministry of Defence that "the enemy" in Iraq - the Shia insurgents in the south, and may be al-Qaeda, operating elsewhere in the country - would treat the arrival of Prince Harry as a golden opportunity to strike a blow at the British and, specifically to target the 22-year-old Prince with a view to capturing him.

Had they succeeded, the repercussions would have been devastating not just for the Prince but for the British Army and for the British people.

It is difficult to conceive how the Army felt it was in anyway sensible to have a member of the Royal Family serving in such a vulnerable position, and offering the enemy the potential for a "trophy" target. But, just as important, the presence of Prince Harry with his troop from A Squadron The Blues and Royals would have put all of them in even graver danger.

Prince Harry and his 11 men and their four Scimitar armoured reconnaissance vehicles would have become target practice.

Prince Harry, I have no doubt, would have conducted himself in a courageous and professional manner, but the decision to send him to Iraq was always going to be a high-risk one. When the risks are already severe, for every soldier deployed to Iraq, it seems unwise, if not irresponsible, to increase those risks.

General Sir Richard Dannatt, the Chief of the General Staff, head of the Army, decided he could go, and has now changed his mind after visiting Iraq to check with army officers out there. The announcement from General Dannatt was no surprise. It is just hard for Prince Harry who has been thrust into the limelight over this issue and will now, no doubt, feel that he has let down his men. It's not his fault.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• UK regional accents thrive against the odds
• ‘Scarecrow’ wind farms put rare birds to flight
• What an anti-climax: G-spot is a myth