While the media have been hyperventilating over the breakup of William and Kate a far more important and worrying story has developed. With just weeks until his deployment the Insurgent threats against Prince Harry continue to mount. In a disturbing interview Iraqi Militia leaders are claiming to have plans at the ready to kill or capture the 22-year-old Prince.
The rival leaders have claimed to have informants within the Allied troops who will follow Harry's movements and that photographs of the Prince have been shown to insurgent fighters so they might recognize him. The threats make for disturbing reading. No doubt that is the intention.
Said commander Abu Zaid of a Shia militia group, "We are awaiting the arrival of the young, handsome, spoilt prince with baited breath and we confidently expect he will come out into the open on the battlefield.
"We will be generous with him. For we will return him to his grandmother the Queen, but without ears. We have printed out many photographs of him from the Internet and given them to all other groups. They know the prince is their main objective and I have every confidence he will be targeted and attacked."
Abu Ahmed another commander within that rebel group has said, "He should follow his mother, Diana, and rebel against the imperialistic family and not come here as a crusader, or his blood will flow into our desert."
Zaid's rival the Iranian-backed Sunni group leader Abu Samir said of Prince Harry, "Our people are ready to welcome him in their special way - like Leachman. (Colonel Gerard Leachman was murdered by an Iraq Sheikh in 1920.)
"His face is now very familiar to a lot of people - more so even than Zidane and Ronaldinho. When the British first arrived in Basra, we planted our people inside the British bases and headquarters, and it is these people who are now our constant source of information.
"They have new orders to track Prince Harry's movements. Once we have that information we will make appropriate plans to capture him. Wherever the British army decides to keep the prince we will find him.
"Our sniper teams have also been issued with pictures so they will know his face long before he arrives in our land.
"Plans to abduct him are already in place. As soon as the prince arrives, the race will be on to seize him as a trophy and then to decide his fate.
"I would like to advise him to stay at home among his friends. He should learn a serious lesson what is happening to British soldiers in Basra and I would like him to think 100 times before boarding a plane for Iraq.
If captured insurgents plan to use the Prince as a bargaining chip to release Iraq prisoners and remove Allied troops from the area.
How true their claims are of inside informants is unknown and any attempt to successfully kidnap him would be extremely difficult to pull off. The threats, however, cannot be dismissed entirely. Prince Harry was always going to be a prime target and with increasing violence increasing against British forces in Iraq it is a worrying time for all soldiers and their families.
In spite of the danger Prince Harry is not likely to be pulled out of deployment. A Ministry of Defense spokesman said, "We have not concealed the fact that he is going out there and the bad guys know that he's coming and we expect that they will consider him a high-profile scalp." Nevertheless talks are said to have been held by the M.O.D. over this latest development and security measures are being taken on the ground.
According to a senior army officer who has served in Basara there is a "disquiet at senior levels" over the prince's arrival and the very possible spark in increased violence against British troops it may cause. Said the Officer, "Wherever they place him in theatre, the concern is it will attract fire towards everyone on the ground. He's the mother of all targets."
According to friends of the Prince none of these threats has swayed Harry who sees them as attempts to block his deployment. Since his days at Sandhurst Prince Harry has been determined to be treated like any other solider even when that means sending him into danger.
Said one friend speaking to the Daily Express, "Harry has been very fed up and not a little angry at all the discussions over whether or not he would go to Iraq.
"He made it clear when he joined the Army that he was going to fight with his men if they were sent anywhere dangerous. He understands that he could be seen as a target for militia but he is not stupid and will not put anyone in danger.
"He will carry out a number of jobs. He will not always be in a Scimitar armoured vehicle and for the first few weeks he will be collating information from the unit he is going to replace, getting used to the heat and making sure his men have all the kit they need."
Prince Harry is currently on leave but is expected to return to the UK shortly.