Pressure grows on Trump to apologise for 'appalling' claims British troops stayed off the frontline in Afghanistan

Prince Harry was one of the latest to add his name to the growing list of furious Brits demanding an apology from the US President.

It comes after Mr Trump said in an interview with Fox News, refering to Nato troops backing US forces: "We've never needed them. They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines."

The Duke of Sussex said the “sacrifices” of British soldiers who served and died in Afghanistan “deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect”, after US President Donald Trump claimed Nato allies stayed away from the front lines in the conflict.

Prince Harry issued a statement saying that "families are left carrying the cost" of the sacrifices made by troops who fought in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014.

He served two frontline tours as an Army Air Corps co-pilot gunner.

Prince Harry said: “In 2001, NATO invoked Article 5 for the first—and only—time in history. It meant that every allied nation was obliged to stand with the United States in Afghanistan, in pursuit of our shared security. Allies answered that call.

“I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there. The United Kingdom alone had 457 service personnel killed.

“Thousands of lives were changed forever. Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters.

“Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost.

“Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defence of diplomacy and peace.”

The Duchess of Sussex backed her husband after he defended British troops.

In an apparent show of support for her husband, the duchess posted a series of photos to her Instagram stories highlighting Harry’s military service and his role as patron of the Invictus Games.

One photo shows the duke in a military aircraft, while others feature veterans celebrating and competing at the games.

Read more: Mother of soldier injured in Afghanistan brands Trump's comments 'an absolute disgrace' as she calls on Starmer to demand apology

Read more: Fury over Trump’s claim Britain ‘stayed off front line’ in Afghanistan as Downing Street hits out at president's Nato remarks

Mr Trump’s remarks have drawn widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum in the UK, with critics pointing to both the number of UK deaths in Afghanistan and highlighting Mr Trump’s avoidance of military service in Vietnam.

Speaking to LBC, Labour MP Alex Ballinger said there should be “repercussions” for Donald Trump if he continues to make “outlandish statements”.

He told Matt Frei: “It's incredibly ignorant and offensive. I think we all know that British troops fought, bled, and died. I lost many colleagues in Afghanistan. Other European partners lost an equal number of colleagues. It's incredibly crass what he said.

"And I think he should speak to more American commanders that were working alongside us to get a better understanding of what was happening."

On whether Trump should say sorry, he said: “He should apologise. The Prime Minister has asked him to apologise. I think we all know he probably won't apologise, but I think asking for that apology is the right thing to do.”

The Prime Minister toughened his stance on Trump as her ordered to US president to say sorry for the "insulting" apologise for his remarks about the conflict.

In a speech on Friday, Sir Keir paid tribute to the 457 British personnel who died and those who were injured, and said: "I will never forget their courage, their bravery and the sacrifice they made for their country.

"There were many also who were injured, some with life-changing injuries.

"I consider President Trump’s remarks to be insulting and frankly appalling and I am not surprised they have caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured and, in fact, across the country."

Sir Keir added that he would apologise if he had said the words used by Trump.

The mother of former British paratrooper Ben Parkinson has branded Mr Trump’s claims an "absolute disgrace."

Speaking to LBC's Shelagh Fogarty, Mr Parkinson's mother, Diane Dernie, has slammed the claims, saying they "get worse every time you hear them."

Mr Parkinson, 41, is widely regarded as the most severely injured British soldier to survive a tour of Afghanistan after his Army Land Rover hit a mine near Musa Qala in 2006.

He is currently recuperating after yet another operation - almost 20 years after he was injured.

Mrs Dernie told Shelagh: "The gut reaction is worse every time you hear it. Everything about his statements, the words he uses, the tone of voice that he uses, the utter dismissal of everything that our troops went through and sacrificed in Afghanistan.

"An absolute disgrace. Absolute disgrace."

She added: "There are 400 odd families who would dearly love to be in the position that we are.

"And our job for the last 19 and a half years has been fighting for Ben because of the sacrifice that he made and so many others like him in Afghanistan."

Sir Jeremy Hunt, former foreign secretary, blasted Trump's remarks "totally unacceptable" and "deeply disrespectful".

Mr Trump has so far refused to issue address to calls amid the furore, instead posting on social media about his wife Melania's upcoming Amazon documentary, and approaching storm set to bring snow and cold weather to the US this weekend.

Echoing Sir Keir, London Mayor Sadiq Khan told LBC: “I want to start this answer by thinking about the families who are bereaved, still grieving the loss of their loved ones in Afghanistan. There are 457 families grieving.

"Every day is a day when they are missing their loved ones. Their lives have been changed forever. I find it offensive that somebody would even think about, let alone say their lives were lost in vain. There's only been one occasion in the history of NATO where Article 5 is being used, and that's when we responded to the request of America to get involved in the war in Afghanistan.

"Why? Because America was under attack because of the terrorists on 9/11. President Trump should reflect on what he said, reflect on what really happened, understand the impact on families. By the way, not just in the UK. There are Danish families who also paid the ultimate price and need, you know, apologise for his comments.”

Speaking to Andrew Peach on LBC News, Helena Tym, who lost her 19-year-old son Cyrus in the conflict, said the comments were "absolutely disgusting" and she was shocked he "dared to let those sort of vile, evil things pour out of his mouth".

She said: “Why did somebody not say to him that it’s completely inappropriate and untrue? And you can't disrespect the soldiers or any military personnel and their families by saying something like that.

"I can't quite get my head around what [Trump's] thinking, if he is thinking at all.

"It's just disgusting, really. Absolutely disgusting.”

Cyrus Thatcher, Ms Tym's son, was killed in 2009 whilst serving as a rifleman with the British forces in Afghanistan.