The Queen is said to have stated she wanted Princes William and Harry to join the war in Afghanistan as part of their public duty.

The Queen is said to have stated she wanted Princes William and Harry to join the war in Afghanistan as part of their public duty

The Queen is said to have stated she wanted Princes William and Harry to join the war in Afghanistan as part of their public duty

Retired head of the British army General Sir Mike Jackson, 79, claims the late monarch’s call came during a discussion between himself and Her Majesty, who died aged 96 in September – during which he said she declared: “My grandsons have taken my shilling therefore they must do their duty.”

Sir Mike reveals on upcoming five-part series ‘The Real Crown’, which will air on ITVX on April 20: “What goes on in those audiences and who says what to whom remains for the two people involved, and I will break the rule about not divulging what goes on, on this one occasion.

“She was very clear. She said, ‘My grandsons have taken my shilling, therefore they must do their duty.’ And that was that.”

He added about how the “risk” of sending the princes to war was more “acceptable” for Harry, 38, who has called himself the “spare heir”: “But it was decided that William as heir to the heir, the risk is too great.

“But for his younger brother, the risk was acceptable.”

Prince William, 40, did a 44-week training stint at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst after he graduated from St Andrews university and was later attached to the Royal Air Force and Navy.

Despite him wanting to join the war he was prevented from doing so given his position as a future King.

Harry, 38, spent 10 years in the army and completed two operational tours of duty in Afghanistan in 2007 to ’08 and 2012 to ’13.

He controversially said in his autobiography ‘Spare’, released in January, he killed 25 Taliban insurgents during his second tour in Afghanistan, and thought of them as “chess pieces” instead of humans and “Bads taken away before they could kill Goods”.

He qualified as a co-pilot gunner in February 2012.

Known as Captain Wales in the army, Harry helped provide helicopter support to the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan forces operating in Helmand province.

Based out of Camp Bastion, 662 Squadron Army Air Corps, he flew more than 100 missions over 2,500 flying hours.

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