Artist to Unveil Sculpture of Prince Harry as Iraq War Casualty

LONDON – A New York artist known for creating controversial and provocative sculptures of celebrities is set to unveil a new work depicting Britain's Prince Harry as a casualty of the Iraq war.

The "Iraq War Memorial" by Daniel Edwards features Prince Harry — who is alive and well — laid out before the British flag with a bouquet of red roses filling his helmet and a vulture in the background.

Capla Kesting Fine Art released undated images of the sculpture with the announcement that the work will be shown to the public at the Bridge Art Fair, an international exhibition in London on Oct. 11-14.

Clarence House, Prince Charles' office, had no comment.

Edwards, whose past sculptures include a nude Britney Spears giving birth on a bearskin rug and an interactive autopsy of Paris Hilton with removable organs, said he was inspired by Prince Harry's willingness to sacrifice for his country.

Depicting a real soldier who had died, he said, would have offered an "idea of tragedy."

Speaking in 2005, Prince Harry had expressed his intention to serve in armed combat.

"If they had said 'No, you can't go front line', then I wouldn't have dragged my sorry arse through Sandhurst, and I wouldn't be where I am now," he said.

However, Harry was not sent to Iraq. In April 2006, General Sir Richard Dannatt, the British Army Chief of Staff, announced the decision not to deploy the prince to Iraq with his squadron over specific threats by terror groups.

Edwards said he began the sculpture in May, after military chiefs ruled that the publicity surrounding Harry's deployment could put his unit at a higher risk.

The Associated Press Television News contributed to this script.