( dpa ) - A British Royal Air Force plane touched down Saturday bringing Prince Harry home from Afghanistan.
The Tristar troop transport plane landed at 1129 GMT the Brize Norton air base west of London after the 23-year-old prince was flown out of Afghanistan in what military officials said was for his own safety and that of other soldiers serving with him.
His return came only two days after a media blackout on his deployment in the Helmand Province was broken, creating a major controversy.
Harry, a Blues and Royals "Cornet" or Second Lieutenant in the Household Cavalry, had been in Afghanistan for some 10 weeks before the media blackout was broken. His tour was originally planned to last four months.
His father the Prince of Wales and brother Prince William were waiting to meet him at the Brize Norton base.
The prince was recalled from frontline service in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province following a "regrettable" leak of news about his presence there in the foreign media, the Defence Ministry said Friday.