The new revelation made by the former UK army chief will further cement claims made by Prince Harry which said he was deemed as a ‘spare’ (Image: Reuters)
Queen Elizabeth II felt the risk of William dying the battlefield was deemed “too great”.
A new docu-series by UK-based media outlet ITV showed that Queen Elizabeth II did not have reservations about Prince Harry fighting in the war but did not want Prince William to engage in fighting during their military service, according to a report by the UK-based Express.
It is a long standing tradition of the Sovereign and the Royal Family to serve in all three services of the Armed Forces.
The Queen viewed the risk of Prince Harry being killed in battle as “acceptable” but the risk of his older brother William dying was deemed “too great”.
Queen Elizabeth’s assessment of the value of Prince Harry’s life further strengthens the latter’s argument that he was viewed as “heir to the heir and the spare” and has the potential to create further rifts in the world’s most famous family.
‘The Real Crown’, ITv’s new docu-series, revealed that the royal family harboured different attitudes towards William and Harry and that could have sowed the seeds of discontent between both brothers.
The revelations were made by the former head of the Army, Sir Mike Jackson, Chief of the General Staff from 2003 to 2006, who told him that both princes need to serve in the forces but only Harry should be sent to the war.
The Queen told this to Sir Mike Jackson during a private audience.
“She told me my grandsons have taken my shilling and therefore they must do their duty. But it was decided that for William as heir to the heir the risk was too great. But for his younger brother the risk was acceptable,” Jackson said.
Prince Harry, the 38-year-old, served in the Army for a decade and was posted in Afghanistan twice. He rose to the rank of the captain. Prince William, two years older to him, completed seven years of military training and rose to the rank of lieutenant in the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals), the Express report said.
After serving the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, Prince Harry trained as a search and rescue pilot and was stationed at RAF Valley, Anglesey, in September 2010.
Prince Harry was criticised for the way he described his Afghanistan experiences in his book ‘Spare’.
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