Feb. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne, is fighting with his regiment in Afghanistan, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said.

Prince Harry has been serving in the war against the Taliban for the last two months, the Chief of the General Staff of the British Army, Richard Dannatt, said today.

``His conduct on operations in Afghanistan has been exemplary,'' Dannatt said in an e-mailed statement in London. ``He has been fully involved in operations and has run the same risks as everyone else in his battle group.''

Harry, 23, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, trained as a lieutenant in a division of the Household Cavalry known as the Blues and Royals. He later trained as a battlefield air controller known as a joint terminal attack controller.

``The whole of Britain will be proud of the outstanding service he is giving,'' Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in an e- mailed statement. ``I want to thank Prince Harry and all of our service personnel for their contribution and service.''

Prince Harry has been in the British Army since 2005. His regiment had been detailed to serve in Iraq last year, but the decision to send him was later withdrawn by the army following threats from militia in the war zone. His elder brother, Prince William, also serves in the country's military.

Drudge Report

A news blackout surrounded the decision to send the younger prince to Afghanistan, with British media in an agreement with Harry's London office not to report his whereabouts to protect his safety and that of British forces.

Today a U.S.-based Web site, the Drudge Report, broke the news, citing Australian New Idea magazine and German daily newspaper Bild. That prompted other media outlets to break the self-imposed embargo.

``I am very disappointed that foreign Web sites have decided to run this story without consulting us,'' Dannatt said.

Harry's spokesman, Paddy Harveson, said in a statement in London that the prince is ``very proud to serve his country on operations alongside his fellow soldiers and to do the job he has been trained for.''

Now that the story is in the public domain, the army will ``take advice'' on whether Harry should remain in the war zone, Dannatt said.

`Much Better'

Televised pictures showed the prince firing a 50-caliber machine gun from a bunker packed with sandbags and walking on patrol carrying a rifle.

``It's much better being out here and experiencing it than hearing stories from people coming back,'' he said in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp.

There are about 7,700 British troops currently serving in Afghanistan, where 89 military personnel have died in the conflict since 2001. British forces are based in the southern province of Helmand.

In 2006, Harry said he wanted to serve alongside his troops if the unit was called into battle after he had graduated from the army's training college in Sandhurst, England.

``There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country,'' Harry said in an interview marking his 21st birthday on Sept. 15, 2006. ``That may sound very patriotic, but it's true. It's not the way anyone should really work.''

Last Updated: February 28, 2008 14:02 EST