Why Elizabeth didn’t send Prince William to the war in Afghanistan but Harry did

While Princes Harry and William both currently live civil lives, it hasn’t always been that way. Both brothers have served in the army, but only Prince Harry was sent on a mission by Queen Elizabeth at the time.

Into the army

British Army general Sir Mike Jackson has revealed details of a conversation he had with the late Elizabeth in a new documentary. In it, the Queen explained why she chose not to send Prince William to war, but to send his brother Harry. “The Queen actually saw it very simply,” said Mike Jackson. “She said: ‘Those guys are spending my money, so they have to do their duty too’. And as a member of the royal family, she said, that meant joining the army. And, if possible, could also be actively involved in armed conflicts.”

William whistled back

On reflection, Elizabeth still decided not to let her eldest grandson go to war. “After careful consultation with her counselors, she realized that it would not be wise to allow William to go to war. There were constant conflicts going on in Afghanistan, and it would be too risky to expose the heir to the throne. For Prince Harry, who was indeed just ‘the spare’, that risk was acceptable.”

William has therefore not been at the front, but he has been a trauma helicopter pilot for a while. Not the safest job either. The Queen had every confidence in his flying skills, but not at all. She just didn’t want the royalfamily took unnecessary risks – something that could lead not only to great family grief, but also to a crisis for the monarchy. The prince was therefore whistled back by his grandmother.

Source: HLN, Daily Mail | Image: NL Image