Prince William hopes to get into combat

SHAWBURY, England, June 19 (UPI) -- Britain's Prince William, at a joint news conference with his younger brother, said he would like to follow Prince Harry's footsteps to a combat zone.

The brothers, wearing battle dress and name tags identifying them as William Wales and Harry Wales, talked to reporters Thursday at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire, where both are going through helicopter training, The Sun reported, The news conference was William's first since he began his RAF training in May.

"If he can do it so can I," William, who turns 27 on Sunday, said. "I didn't join the forces to be mollycoddled or treated differently."

Harry spent weeks in Afghanistan but was pulled out when his deployment became public.

Traditionally, the heir to the throne is kept out of battle. In the previous generation, Prince Andrew served in the Falklands War while Prince Charles trained with the military but never made it to the front lines.

Harry, 24, said he may not have the "brain capacity" to fly an Apache helicopter.

The princes are sharing accommodations and joked about their housekeeping arrangements. William said he does the cooking, while Harry, supposed to do the washing up, leaves the sink full of dishes.