Prince Harry fails pilot exam

Feb 16, 2009, 10:05 GMT

Britain's Prince Harry has failed a pilot exam.

The 24-year-old royal flunked the theory-based test just weeks into his two-year Army training course.

Air Corps officials will now give the prince extra lessons to make sure he passes a retake.

A source at the RAF base in Lincolnshire told Britain's News of the World newspaper: "Harry didn't reach the grade but he will have plenty of other opportunities to pass it.

"He will now be given extra tuition. It wasn't a case of Harry failing and being booted off the course. It's part of an ongoing assessment."

If Harry successfully completes the course, he will be qualified to pilot Apache, Gazelle or Lynx helicopters by 2010.

The royal - who served 10 weeks in Afghanistan in 2007 - reportedly enrolled in the training course to improve his chances of being redeployed to the front line.

His first weeks have been spent learning the basics of flying on a Firefly fixed-wing aircraft.

Harry has not had a good year.

He sparked worldwide controversy last month when a video footage of him calling an Army colleague a "p**i" emerged.

A fresh race row erupted last week when comedian Stephen K. Amos revealed Harry told him "you don't sound like a black chap" at Prince Charles' 60th birthday celebrations last November.

He was also said to be "devastated" last month when he split from his girlfriend of five years Chelsy Davy. The Zimbabwean-born beauty reportedly ended their relationship because Harry's army training was taking up too much of his time.