Prince William was repeatedly prevented from serving on the
front line in Afghanistan despite determined efforts to secure his
deployment, according to a former senior royal aide.
Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, who served as principal private
secretary to both the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex,
has disclosed that he fought
unsuccessfully to allow William to follow his younger brother
into the war zone.
The former SAS officer, who oversaw much of the princes’ early
military careers, said security officials consistently ruled out
the future King’s deployment because of the risks involved.
Prince Harry completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan during
his Army career, although his first deployment in 2008 was cut
short after details of his presence were leaked, raising concerns
that his location had become known to Taliban forces.
William, however, was never granted permission to undertake a
similar operational deployment.
Speaking to The Times,
Lowther-Pinkerton said both brothers were committed soldiers who
wanted to serve alongside their fellow servicemen and women.
“When they were soldiers, it was important that they did it
right and properly,” he said, explaining that he wanted both
princes to earn genuine military experience rather than receive
special treatment.
He described William and Harry as “brave guys” and said his aim
was to ensure they could one day say they had fulfilled their
duty.
The revelation echoes comments William himself made in 2010,
when he admitted it was “a pity” he had not been allowed to deploy
to Afghanistan while serving with the Army.
At the time, the Prince acknowledged there were legitimate
security concerns but suggested some objections had been
overstated.
“There are some slightly valid arguments as to why not,” he
said, “but many of them are hyped up as to why I couldn’t go.”
William had originally served with the Household Cavalry before
transferring to the Royal Air Force, where he qualified as a search
and rescue helicopter pilot. Although some members of his former
regiment were deployed to Afghanistan, he remained in the UK.
Lowther-Pinkerton, who worked for the brothers between 2005 and
2013 before continuing in a part-time role for another year, also
reflected on the ongoing rift between William and Harry.
Asked whether he believed the brothers could repair their
relationship, he declined to comment directly on the dispute.
“I think I’d better steer clear of that Harry issue,” he
said.
However, he added that he remained “very fond” of the Duke of
Sussex and described himself as “a perennial optimist”, suggesting
he still hoped reconciliation could eventually happen.
The relationship between the brothers has remained strained
since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from royal duties
in 2020. Tensions have since deepened following the couple’s
interview with Oprah Winfrey, their Netflix documentary series and
Harry’s memoir, Spare.
Harry said last year that he wanted to rebuild ties with his
family, telling the BBC: “I would love reconciliation with my
family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to return to Britain
together next month with their children, Prince Archie and Princess
Lilibet, for events marking one year until the Birmingham Invictus
Games. Reports have suggested King Charles has offered the family
accommodation on a royal estate, although it is understood no
response has yet been received.
Image: WPA Rota Pool /
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source royalcentral.co.uk ’
