‘They must do their duty’: Queen Elizabeth ‘wanted William and Harry to go to war’

Queen Elizabeth II believed her grandsons Prince Harry and Prince William should both “do their duty” by going to war in Afghanistan, a former head of the British army has said.

It was decided, however, that the risk for the older sibling was “too great” as the heir to the throne, according to General Sir Mike Jackson, who served as chief of the general staff from 2003 until 2006.

But for William’s younger brother Harry, who went on two tours of Afghanistan during the decade he spent in the military, the “risk was acceptable”, he said.

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The former military chief has broken protocol in a new ITV documentary, The Real Crown, to divulge what the late Queen had told him during one of their private meetings, which took place once or twice a year.

“She was very clear. She said: ‘My grandsons have taken my shilling, therefore they must do their duty.’ And that was that,” he told the programme. “But it was decided that [for] William as heir to the heir, the risk is too great. But for his younger brother, the risk was acceptable.”

The claims somewhat marry with the titular sentiment expressed in the Duke of Sussex’s memoir Spare, in which he airs his grievances over his alleged role within the royal family in relation to that of his older brother.

While the duke served in Afghanistan, controversially claiming to have killed 25 Taliban fighters during six missions as an Apache helicopter pilot, his brother William also spent seven years in the armed forces but was not deployed overseas.

The now-Prince of Wales had “unequivocally” been “very keen to go”, the director of the British Forces Foundation, Mark Cann, told the programme.

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“But it was complex, and some very great minds and experienced people took a view on it,” said Mr Cann.

“I think it was really tricky. Anybody who’s in the military who hasn’t actually been on operation feels a sense of disappointment. And I think especially that was the one [war] at the time, you’ve got everyone around you at the time who’s been involved in it. So there is a sense of disappointment.”

The five-part series will be available on ITVX from 20 April, with the claims relating to the military roles of Harry and William emerging in the final episode, titled “Heirs and Spares”.