Respect Harry's privacy, urges Reid

Last updated at 16:31 19 June 2005


Defence Secretary John Reid today called on the media to respect Prince Harry's privacy as he undergoes Army training at Sandhurst.

Dr Reid said that Harry deserved the same degree of privacy to which "every other young person is entitled during their education".

He added that the issue of security was separate and accepted full responsibility for the safety of all recruits.

His comments came after The Sun newspaper claimed last week that Harry was at Sandhurst while a reporter spent eight hours in the grounds.

Speaking on ITV1's Jonathan Dimbleby programme, Dr Reid said: "The security of all soldiers, sailors, air men and women, irrespective of their families and their background, people are entitled to ask me to make sure the security is what we would expect of a service man and woman.

"But there's another issue and that is the entitlement to some degree of privacy of a young man, in this case Harry, who's undergoing his education and training."

He added: "I would plead with the press not to give up their watch on security at all our barracks, but give this young man the same degree of privacy, which his brother was given and which every other young person is entitled during their education."

Speaking further on security matters, Dr Reid went on: "This is his university, his education, the question of security is separate, and I fully accept responsibility to make sure every young man and woman who enters our forces is secure."

Dr Reid was also asked about an Institute of Strategic Studies estimate that it could be up to five years before Iraqi forces are capable of maintaining security.

Expressing disagreement with this figure, he said: "I would hope we could begin the process of passing the lead to the Iraqi security forces themselves within six months to a year.

"Now that process may not be completed for a much longer time, but they now have more trained Iraqi army personnel than we have in the international community in there, they are taking the lead".

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