The Queen has reportedly raised her concerns with Prime Minister Gordon Brown over equipment shortages in Afghanistan, a historian has claimed.
Andrew Roberts told Tatler that the monarch, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales were all worried about alleged sub-standard resources for troops serving in the war-torn country.
Mr Roberts, who once chronicled the modern monarchy in his book The House of Windsor, wrote: "I've now heard the same thing from a minor member of the Royal family, a serving general and a recent ex-Cabinet minister, so I'm certain it's true and worth passing on."
He continued: "The Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Charles are all furious with Gordon Brown over sub-standard equipment in Helmand, principally the under-armoured armoured cars and the lack of helicopters, and have been making their views known to him in no uncertain terms."
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "Private conversations between the Queen and the Prime Minister remain private."
However, a royal source said the claims were not true. A spokesman for the Prince of Wales at Clarence House declined to comment on the matter.
The Queen is the head of the Armed Forces and her grandson Prince Harry spent the past 10 weeks secretly serving in war-ravaged Helmand Province in 2008.
On a visit to Camp Bastion in Helmand province last month, Mr Brown promised more support for British troops in Afghanistan as he sought to quell criticism that they were under-resourced.
On Sunday night, backed by German chancellor Angela Merkel, he called for an international conference on the country's future to be held before the end of the year.
The conference is intended to bring together the newly-elected Afghan government with Nato, the United Nations and other key players in the multinational mission to map out a detailed strategy for 2010.
