Prince Harry hazed for military flirting

LONDON, March 2 (UPI) -- British Prince Harry's commander says the royal soldier was hazed by his comrades for flirting with a female pilot while deployed in Afghanistan.

Battery Commander Major Andy Dimmock said several of Harry's fellow soldiers once broke in on a conversation between the prince and a female Harrier pilot to mock the pair's flirtatious behavior, the Daily Mail reported Sunday.

"We were obviously giving him the mickey," Dimmock said. "We said, 'Flirt with her any longer and you have to get a room.' He said, 'Does that count as the Mile High Club?'"

The ribbing occurred as Harry was serving as emergency air controller in Afghanistan, a position he attempted to bring levity to through flirting and joking with pilots.

"It's just me and him (the pilot) having a good banter and obviously when the aircraft come in you know you've got them on task for 3, 3 1/2 hours and you're looking for possibly one or two enemy digging a trench and it can get quite tiring," said the prince, who returned to Britain last week after media reported he was stationed in the war zone.