UK Royal To Train In El Centro, Gila Bend During US Visit

When Britain's Prince William and new bride Kate Middleton visited California briefly in July, they followed a carefully-planned itinerary which included polo in Santa Barbara and charity fundraisers.

But when younger brother Prince Harry arrives in California for helicopter training in October, his itinerary, while just as carefully planned, will be decidedly less glamorous. The Orange County Register reports he'll take part in an Apache helicopter course, training at the Naval Air Facility in El Centro, which brags only of being a promising industrial area with two nearby border crossings. It's a far cry from Hollywood, but the Naval Air Facility there features "year-round great flying weather and the proximity of several instrumented bombing ranges," according to its official website.

But the Register also notes that the course will include a break from El Centro, taking Harry "to the Air Force Auxiliary Air Field in glamorous Gila Bend, Arizona."

Back home, the Guardian reports that Harry has been cleared to return to active duty in Afghanistan once his training is done.

FMI: www.princeofwales.gov.uk/personalprofiles/princeharry