The Queen gave the go-ahead to send Prince Harry to war but it was decided the risk for William was too great, a royal documentary reveals.
General Sir Mike Jackson suggests the Duke of Sussex, 38, might have good reason to feel “spare” – the title of his memoir – after fighting in Afghanistan.
In a dramatic series, the ex-head of the Army says he kept his private audiences with the Queen, 96, secret.
But he adds: “I will break the rule about not divulging what goes on on this one occasion, when she was very clear. She said, ‘My grandsons have taken my shilling, therefore they must do their duty’ – and that was that.
“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.”
Ex-Army captain Harry, 38, served two Afghanistan tours from 2007 to 2008, and 2012 to 2013, the latter as an Apache pilot. Prince William, 40, was an officer in the Household Cavalry and later became an RAF Search and Rescue helicopter pilot.
The ITV series, out later this month, also claims Princess Margaret refused to stop listening to the Archers as the late Queen visited her on her deathbed in 2002.
It also says Prince Andrew, 63, was embarrassed the royals long before his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein came to light.
The five-part series reveals the personal challenges facing the Queen throughout her reign.
Some of the key figures interviewed have never previously spoken on camera. Princess Margaret’s former lady-in-waiting says when the Queen’s sister was dying after a fourth stroke she refused to stop listening to Radio 4’s the Archers when the late monarch arrived.
Lady Anne Glenconner recalls: “I could hear the Queen going upstairs.
“About two minutes later, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
“So I said ‘Ma’am, is there anything wrong?’ And she said, ‘Yes. Margaret’s listening to the Archers and every time I say something she just says, ‘Shush’.
“So I went up and said to Princess Margaret, ‘the Queen’s only got a short time’, turning off her wireless, and I brought them tea and left them.”
Archbishop George Carey was one of the last people to see Margaret, 71, alive. He hints she never got over being banned, by the Queen as head of the Church of England, from marrying her first love Peter Towns-end as he was divorced. The cleric says: “I heard she was dying, so I talked to her quietly, said a prayer, anointed her with the oil and she died soon after. A moving occasion.
“But she was sad. Here is a woman who longed for love and the love of
her life was forbidden for her.
* The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor, is on ITVX from April 20
