'I hope Harry didn't give you any lip!' William shares a joke with former Gurkha who served with his brother in Afghanistan 

  • William attended an event for military personnel who served in the Middle East
  • The Duke of Cambridge chatted to a former Gurkha who served with his brother
  • He joked that he 'hoped' Harry did not give him 'any lip' during their time there

By Abe Hawken For Mailonline

Published: 15:39 EDT, 9 March 2017 | Updated: 17:37 EDT, 9 March 2017

The Duke of Cambridge today told a former comrade of Prince Harry he hoped his younger brother had not given him 'lip' when they served alongside each other in Afghanistan.

Prince William, 34, made the quip at a reception at Horse Guards Parade in London for military servicemen and women and civilians who had served in Afghanistan and the two Gulf Wars.

Kailash Gurung, 40, who formerly served in the Royal Gurkha Regiment, met Harry when the prince came to Afghanistan as a forward air controller in 2007.

The Duke of Cambridge (pictured) joked with a former Gurkha who served with his brother in Afghanistan

The Duke of Cambridge (pictured) joked with a former Gurkha who served with his brother in Afghanistan

The royals, including Prince Harry (pictured), spoke to members of the Brigade of Gurkhas at a reception on Horse Guards Parade in London 

The royals, including Prince Harry (pictured), spoke to members of the Brigade of Gurkhas at a reception on Horse Guards Parade in London 

On learning that Sergeant Gurung had met Harry during a stay at his Afghanistan base, William remarked: 'Well I hope he didn't give you any lip! Tell him where to go!'

Sergeant Gurung, who is now based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, as part of the 4 ROC Regiment, said the day had marked a special moment to reflect about friends he lost in the conflict.

He said: 'Some of my very close friends lost their lives, some of my very close friends have been injured for life. It's very emotional.

'It has sent me back, made me think about how it happened.'

The tightly guarded event, spread across two large, chandelier-lit marquees at the top of St James's Park, hosted hundreds of attendees from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan between 1991 and 2014.

The receptions followed a sombre drumhead ceremony in the parade grounds and the unveiling of a new memorial in the Victoria Embankment Gardens.

It commemorated those who served in the conflicts, where a total of 682 service personnel lost their lives.

The event has been criticised by some families, who feel all bereaved family members of those lost in the war should have been formally invited.

RAF reservist and former Afghanistan serviceman Ian Pollock, 56, said it was not clear why some people had not attended.

He said: 'They were given the opportunity to come, you don't know the circumstances of where they might be.

'Maybe it's too painful for them and maybe they don't want to be reminded of it.'

As William greeted uniformed attendees in the marquee on Horse Guards Parade, the Duchess of Cambridge spoke to former servicemen to ask about their time in the Middle East.

One of those she spoke with was a former medic of the Royal Air Force's Jaguar squadron, Ian Ewers-Larose, 50, who praised the 'fantastic' drumhead service shortly before.

Prince Harry (pictured) spoke to British military personnel 

Prince Harry (pictured) spoke to British military personnel 

Prince William was with the Duchess of Cambridge when they met veterans and serving members of the British armed forces on Thursday 

Prince William was with the Duchess of Cambridge when they met veterans and serving members of the British armed forces on Thursday 

He said: 'It was fantastic. It was very apt, very moving and very poignant.'

But Mr Ewers-Larose, who served in the first Gulf War in 1991, said he looked back with mixed feelings regarding the conflicts as a whole.

He said: 'At the end of the day, we signed up to serve Queen and country, it's our role. So therefore we are sent to do what's required for our government and our country.

'At the time we were down there to sort the invasion of a sovereign state. For me, on that side, it was the right thing to do at the time.

'Subsequently, I think there's a bone of contention on the second one, potentially.

'The first Gulf War was the right one, and personally I think they should have gone in and finished it right there and then.' 

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