I feel proud of Prince Harry for being willing to go fight for his country, as other king's and princes have done throughout history. It must be remarkably difficult to have to live under such a spotlight.

On Friday the British military decided to pull Prince Harry out of Afghanistan after news of his 10-week deployment was leaked by foreign media, the Ministry of Defence said.

In mid-December, the prince, a junior officer in the Household Cavalry, was posted to the dangerous Helmand province of southern Afghanistan where British forces are fighting Taliban extremists.

In these times of cushy handouts among leaders, lobbysits, and others in power, at least this guy is for real.

Last year, the army was forced to cancel plans to send the prince to Iraq because of the security risk. This time, the prince was deployed under a cloak of secrecy following an unusual news blackout deal between the media and the army. The ministry urged the media to maintain a news blackout until the prince, who is third in line to the throne, returns to Britain.

However, the arrangement collapsed Thursday after news was leaked on the US website, the Drudge Report.  

Radio personality Matt Drudge originally gained his notoriety by revealing details of then US president Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky.

"Following a detailed assessment of the risks by the operational chain of command, the decision has been taken... to withdraw Prince Harry from Afghanistan immediately," said a ministry statement.

While the decision "by elements of the foreign media to report Prince Harry's presence in Afghanistan without any consultation with the Ministry of Defence" was slammed as "regrettable" by the British government  -- Drudge had a right to "out" this.

The media has its role.

But "the worldwide media coverage of Prince Harry in Afghanistan could impact on the security of those who are deployed there, as well as the risks to him as an individual soldier," the  the Ministry of Defence said.

His deployment made him the first British royal to be sent into combat in more than a quarter of a century. Prince Andrew, harry's uncle, served as a naval helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands War.

In one interview, the prince said there had been jokes about his nickname -- "bullet magnet." His tour could make him a "top target" for extremists.

"Every single person that supports them will be trying to slot me," he said.

But the prince said he enjoyed being away from the limelight of the media deluge he faces at home. "I think this is about as normal as I'm ever going to get," he added.

On the optomistic side of things, Harry makes it clear that some megacelebrities can deal with the pressure, rise to the occassion, and be a force for good in the world regardless of their extreme circumstances.

Brittney Spears needs to borrow a page or two from Harry's book.