-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Prince Harry paraded alongside his fellow British servicemen in Scotland Wednesday , as he attended a memorial to service members who have died in Afghanistan . Prince Harry takes part in a memorial parade and service for troops killed during his tour of Afghanistan . Harry , 23 , serves in the British Army and spent 10 weeks in Afghanistan earlier this year . He was withdrawn unexpectedly in March after news leaked out about his low-key deployment . The prince appeared in uniform alongside around 200 other sailors , soldiers , marines and airmen at the parade , which took place on Edinburgh 's famous Royal Mile . They made their way to St. Giles ' Cathedral for a private memorial and thanksgiving service for the fallen service members . Also attending the service was British Defense Secretary Des Browne , families of the fallen troops , and recovering wounded military personnel . Harry holds the rank of cornet , equivalent to a second lieutenant . He was deployed to Afghanistan 's Helmand province where he served as a forward air controller . His duties included calling in airstrikes and air support when necessary , guaranteeing the accuracy of bombing on the ground and guarding against incidents of friendly fire . The parade and memorial service took place on the same day Britain 's Ministry of Defense announced the deaths of four British soldiers in Afghanistan , and two days after Browne announced Britain will increase its presence in Afghanistan from 7,800 troops to 8,030 by next spring . Watch Prince Harry at the memorial '' Prince Harry is the younger son of Prince Charles , the heir to the British throne , and the late Princess Diana , who died in a Paris car crash in 1997 . Last year , the military ruled he could not be sent to Iraq because publicity about the deployment could put him and his unit at risk . Shortly after the news of the prince 's deployment broke , several Islamist Web sites posted messages alerting their `` brethren '' in Afghanistan to be on the lookout for the royal soldier . Several members of the British royal family saw combat in the past century . Prince Harry 's grandfather , Prince Phillip , served aboard warships in World War II ; his great-grandfather -- the future King George VI -- took part in the World War I naval battle of Jutland ; and Prince Andrew , Prince Harry 's uncle , flew Royal Navy helicopters during Britain 's 1982 war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands . Prince Harry 's brother , Prince William , is also an army officer . But as second in line for the throne , he is specifically barred from combat .