Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Prince Harry arrived in Afghanistan on Friday on a four-month military deployment in his role as an Apache helicopter pilot, Britain's Ministry of Defense said. Harry, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and third in line to the British throne, is a captain in Britain's Army Air Corps. He will be stationed at dusty Camp Bastion in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province -- considered a Taliban heartland -- with the 100-strong 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment Army Air Corps. Opinion: Cheeky Prince Harry vs dull brother Wills The austere conditions will be a far cry from the more luxurious lifestyle he enjoys when on leave in the United Kingdom -- or on his widely covered trip to Las Vegas last month, where a scandal broke after he was photographed naked while partying in his hotel room on what turns out to have been a predeployment vacation.
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NEW: Harry will be treated like any other soldier and is proud to serve, palace spokesman says
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His presence in Afghanistan is expected to boost morale among UK forces
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"He will be in a difficult and demanding job," a commander at Camp Bastion says
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Scandal hit the prince last month after he was photographed naked in Las Vegas
The media are allowed to report on his deployment this time, although the timing of his arrival in @placeholder was kept under wraps.