Prince Harry couldn’t wipe the grin from his face as he greeted soldiers during a visit to RAF Honington in Southern England recently. It wasn’t just that he’d been named “Top Gun” of his class, or that he’d finally completed the gruelling 18-month training to become a frontline Apache attack helicopter pilot.

The royal, who sets hearts aflutter when he slips into his combat gear, was smiling because his new qualification means he’s ready to return to war-torn Afghanistan.

But his position is an extremely dangerous one. According to Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, Prince Harry will be their prime target. Just last week, the insurgent group promised to use “all its power” to kill or capture him – though the 27-year-old simply shrugged off the deadly warning, saying, “There’s threats coming in all the time”.

While instructors say Harry’s a “natural and instinctive” flying talent, an army source close to the prince says it’s not his title, but a burning desire to prove himself, that could endanger him. “He’s obsessed with proving his bravery, to the point where it crosses over into recklessness!” the source says.

Read more about Prince Harry in the danger zone in our special tribute issue to Whitney Houston in this week's Woman's Day on sale Friday February 17, 2012.