Prince's naval duty to take him to Caribbean on frigate

The assignment beginning Monday will see the second in line to the throne spending much of his time trolling the West Indies aboard the HMS Iron Duke, a frigate on hurricane relief duty and counter-narcotics patrol.

Rear Admiral Robert Cooling, assistant chief of Naval Staff, said William "commendably wanted to be as close to the front line as possible."

But officers decided he could learn more in a short time by serving on the Iron Duke than by being sent to the Persian Gulf, where the Royal Navy is engaged in a number of operations.

There was also concern that placing William, 25, in the Persian Gulf might draw unwanted attention from Britain's enemies.

Deployment of William's brother, Prince Harry, to the front lines in Afghanistan had to be cut short this spring after a news embargo was broken and it was revealed he was serving there.

Senior officers stressed in a pre-deployment briefing that William will receive no special treatment nore accommodations during his assignment, which is to include shoreside training followed by five weeks at sea.

The prince probably would not take part in boarding parties, however, if the men are come under fire while attempting to intercept drug shipments, Cooling said.

William is an officer in the Army, but he has been spending time in other branches of the service to round out his military experience.

On the Iron Duke, William is scheduled to spend time in every department, including weapons engineering, logistics, operations, and on the ship's helicopter flights.