Prince Harry returns to England today, a hero to the Army, a changed man in the eyes of the public and a target for jihadists.

As the Queen, the Prime Minister and the Chief of the Defence Staff queued up to heap praise on the 23-year-old second lieutenant, protection for the Prince is to be upgraded. Al-Qaeda websites posted death threats against him yesterday after the worldwide coverage of his ten weeks in Helmand province, Afghanistan. In stark contrast, army message boards carried unanimous praise for the Prince.

The Times has seen messages posted on a password-protected al-Qaeda forum, al-Ekhlaas, calling for Prince Harry to be beheaded and a video of his murder to be sent to the Queen.

Arabic news items and photographs of the Prince on duty in Helmand were added to the jihadi sites. One posting said: “Nothing will break the heart of his grandmother but only if she loses him. My dear brothers in Allah, carry on provoking to kidnap this precious infidel.”

The secret of Widow Six Seven

American pilots, Afghan soldiers and Taleban fighters - all unaware that third in line to the throne was in their midst

Multimedia

• Pictures: Prince Harry in Helmand

• Video: Harry on the front line

• Video: Harry explains his job

BACKGROUND

• The day Grandma told me I'd be going to war

• Full text of Prince Harry interview in Afghanistan

• Full text of Prince Harry interview given pre-departure

Related Links

• The making of a right royal hero

• What took Matt Drudge so long?

• Soldiers applaud bravery of ‘fine young royal’

Multimedia

• Pictures: Prince Harry in Helmand

• Mick Smith: will Islamists now target Harry?

The Taleban also vowed to step up attacks on British Forces because of the Prince’s deployment. “Prince Harry’s presence in Afghanistan encourages our fighters to launch more attacks on British Forces,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taleban told The Times by telephone from an undisclosed location. “The Royal Family is now directly participating in the aggression against Muslims.” In an interview last week, Prince Harry acknowledged that on his return to Britain he could be a “top target” for home-grown jihadists who were sympathetic to the Taleban.

The al-Ekhlass forum has recently carried postings from a group calling itself Al-Qaeda in Britain but its name did not appear yesterday in traffic on the forum that was monitored and translated by the Site Intelligence Group in the United States.

Responsibility for assessing the increased risk to Prince Harry’s personal security will be a matter for the Metropolitan Police, but Whitehall sources said that all intelligence outlets would be tapped to help to gauge what sort of security might be needed.

Clarence House sources said that those responsible for Prince Harry’s security “know what they are doing and will assesss the risks accordingly”. Defence sources confirmed that during his ten weeks in Afghanistan the Prince was not given any additional protection, such as special forces minders. Once back in London, however, except when he is in a military environment where protection is already adequate, he is likely to be given extra security, especially while his public profile remains so high.

The decision to bring the Prince home was made by Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, Chief of the Defence Staff. Army chiefs now have to decide whether Prince Harry can be sent on another overseas mission. Defence sources said that this had not been ruled out, especially as the Prince wants to continue his army career.

Having flown out of Afghanistan within 24 hours of the story breaking about his presence in Helmand, Prince Harry will be given leave before his superiors decide the next phase of his career. It seems unlikely that he will return to Afghanistan, and last year’s option of sending him to Iraq with his unit, A Squadron The Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry, was ruled out because of threats against him from Shia militias.

Brigadier Andrew Mackay, Commander Task Force Helmand, Prince Harry’s overall commander in Afghanistan, said yesterday: “The decision to withdraw Harry from operations was one that was not made lightly and was given very careful consideration. At the time of the decision Harry was deployed in the field, conducting operations against the Taleban, and we therefore had to consider not just the consequences for him personally but those that he was serving alongside.”

He revealed that Prince Harry had recently been involved in a major operation to disrupt Taleban lines of communication. “In doing so, he has shared the same risks, endured the same austerity and undergone the same moments of fear and euphoria that are part of conducting operations in this most complex environment.”

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Shrinking violet Gordon turns into raging bull
• Eddie Izzard: 'I keep thinking if I do all these things she'll come back'
• Is sex for the disabled the last taboo?