Prince Harry to 'quit armed forces' to focus on charity work

Prince Harry is set to leave the Armed Forces later in 2015 to pursue charity work, it has been revealed.

After training at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, the 30-year-old prince, who joined the Army 10 years ago and has served twice in Afghanistan, spent 10 weeks on a deployment to Afghanistan in 2007 before being pulled out when news of his presence was leaked, the BBC reported.

The prince, who returned to the country in 2012 for a five-month deployment as an Apache helicopter pilot, took up a staff officer role with the Army in 2014.

BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said that if the Prince did leave the Army it would give him greater freedom to concentrate on his charity work in support of wounded veterans, and in Africa where he founded the Aids charity Sentabale in Lesotho.

Witchell added that Harry, who is said to be thinking very seriously about his future, might feel frustrated in a desk job.

Harry, whose charity works also include the organisation of the Invictus Games for injured servicemen and women, is to spend time seconded to the military in Australia before his active duties with the Army end, the Evening Standard reported.