Britain Prince Harry sent to military training base in Canada

OTTAWA (AFP) - Britain's royal bad boy-turned-soldier Prince Harry has arrived at a military base in Canada, where he is on shooting training for a possible deployment to Afghanistan, local media reported.

An anonymous source cited by the Calgary Herald newspaper reported seeing the prince laughing and joking with soldiers in a cafe bar at the British Army Training Unit Suffield.

"He was just talking to the boys. He just blends right in. I think he's just a normal boy. He likes to enjoy himself," the source was quoted as saying.

Harry, 22, is a second lieutenant in the elite Blues and Royals regiment of the British Army's Household Cavalry, responsible for 11 soldiers and four Scimitar reconnaissance vehicles.

He has earned a reputation as a party prince, with British media widely documenting -- and photographing -- his antics at nightclubs.

His regiment is training at the Suffield base, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Calgary in the western province of Alberta.

The training is likely to signal a possible deployment in restive Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, British media earlier reported.

British forces there are battling resistance by supporters of the former Taliban regime which was driven out in 2001.

Harry was expected to practice "fire and maneuver" operations at Suffield, the largest training area available for British armored vehicles, according to the British Sunday Mirror newspaper.

A spokeswoman for the base refused to confirm or deny whether Harry was there, the Calgary Herald said.

Army top brass stopped Harry from joining his regiment's recent deployment to Basra in southern Iraq over fears he would be headhunted by insurgents.

Reports have said he is being lined up for a posting to Afghanistan instead, where it would be harder for Taliban rebels to pinpoint his location.