Widely reported and now confirmed…Prince Harry, the third-in-line to the British throne, will be deployed to Iraq, the Ministry of Defense said Thursday.

His regiment, the Blues and Royals, is expected to deploy to Iraq this spring. The 22-year-old prince, known as Troop Commander Wales by his regiment, would be the first British royal to see live combat since his uncle, Prince Andrew, served in the Falklands war against Argentina in 1982.

Harry - a second lieutenant - has always looked forward to seeing combat in Iraq, saying that there was “no way” he was going to undergo rigorous training and then stay away from the battlefield. He graduated last year from Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

Britain’s Ministry of Defense has been on record as saying the Prince may be kept out of situations where his presence could jeopardize his comrades.