Queen Elizabeth would have been 'aghast' at Prince William's statement on the Israel and Gaza conflict, Andrew Pierce says on YouTube talk show The Reaction

The late Queen would have been 'aghast' at Prince William's statement on the Israel/Gaza conflict, according to The Reaction, the Mail's must-not-miss talk show.

In a new episode out today, Mail columnists Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce questioned the timing of the Prince of Wales' words on events in the Middle East, which were released on Tuesday, the day before a debate and vote in the Commons.

And the pair openly questioned if the 'impassioned' statement, calling for an end to the fighting in Gaza, was influenced by others, particularly the Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron.

After the future king's extraordinary intervention - in which he talked of the 'terrible human cost' of a war that has seen 'too many killed', Mr Pierce said that he believes the late Queen would have been 'aghast at what he's done'.

He said: 'It is no coincidence that Her Majesty The Queen, one of the most travelled heads of state ever, in her 70-year reign, never went to Israel. Because the Foreign Office wouldn't let her to go Israel because it was loaded with political symbolism and significance.

The late Queen would have been 'aghast' at Prince William 's statement on the Israel/ Gaza conflict, according to The Reaction, the Mail's must-not-miss talk show. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth in June 2016

The Prince and Princess of Wales made a statement regarding the situation in the Middle East earlier this week. Pictured: Prince William at the BAFTAs on Sunday

In a new episode out today, Mail columnists Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce questioned the timing of the Prince of Wales' words on events in the Middle East

'And I think the Queen would be aghast at what he's done.

'Because do you remember she got involved in the Scottish independence referendum, all she said was on a walk about, 'I do hope people will think carefully before the way they vote'.

'But she didn't make a written statement, very dramatic on black backing, talking about the 'darkest hour' [as William's statement was], well that's Churchillian.'

He then went on to question whether Lord Cameron, who has been 'pushing for a ceasefire', was involved in the statement released by Kensington Palace shortly before William arrived for a visit to the London headquarters of the Red Cross.

Mr Pierce told the show: 'The government had to have signed this statement off. The Foreign Office would have been all over it.

'I smell Lord Cameron's influence in all of this.

'People tell me he is involved, there is a suggestion that rather than this coming from William, that it may have been from the Foreign Office.

'Has David Cameron put the future king up to this? If he has, he hasn't done him any great service in my view.'

Prince William on Tuesday issued the royals' strongest statement yet on the Gaza conflict

Mr Pierce questioned whether Lord Cameron, who has been 'pushing for a ceasefire', was involved in the statement released by Kensington Palace

The comments came just days before Parliament vote on a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Pictured: A protest being held in Westminster tongiht 

Smoke rises during an Israeli ground operation in Khan Younis

Asked if the Prime Minister or anyone else in Government asked the Prince of Wales to make the statement, the Prime Minister's Deputy Spokesperson told the Mail: 'As a matter of course we would never get into conversations with the Palace, so we can't provide guidance on that basis, but we welcome his comments which echo points that the PM has made and are important to make.'

Speaking of the timing of the statement, coming on the eve of a Parliamentary debate, Ms Vine said: 'I would question the timing, because there's a vote tonight in the House of Commons on a ceasefire.

'And I'm sure it's not William's intention to influence the outcome of a parliamentary vote, because that really would be constitutionally quite tricky, but whoever is advising him might've wanted to point this out.

Because that's how it could be construed.

'The one thing, the one thing the [future] monarch cannot be seen to be doing is trying to influence Parliament.'

The Prince should not be 'quite so emotional about these things', Ms Vine added, stating that it's 'not really his role'.

Mr Pierce agreed, but said 'at least in his statement the future king wisely avoided using the word ceasefire.'

After the latest Royal saga, the pair turned to the controversial sacking of immigration watchdog David Neal after he this week raised concerns about national security to the Mail.

Prince William, pictured at the British Red Cross HQ in London today, has released an impassioned statement in which he says 'too many' have been killed' in the Gaza conflict

Prince William met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara during his visit to the country in 2018

The future King shook hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah in 2018

Mr Neal highlighted dangerous failures at London City Airport when he revealed how hundreds of 'high risk' flights were landing in the UK without proper passport checks.

He was sacked from his role as Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration by Home Secretary James Cleverly, with a mandarin informing the watchdog via a Zoom call, on Tuesday.

Speaking of Mr Cleverly's decision, Ms Vine said: 'I don't understand why he's been sacked.

'I don't understand why he [Cleverly] doesn't say 'thank you very much for bringing this to our attention, we will immediately tighten security at London City Airport'.

Mr Pierce interjected: 'And there's another point here, Sarah, his title is independent watchdog. So how can a government minister sack an independent watchdog?'

Ms Vine concluded: 'What we're seeing today is just petulance on the behalf of the Home Secretary because something has happened that he doesn't like and it has made him look bad.'

'Their Royal Highnesses hold all the victims, their families and their friends in their hearts and minds,' a spokesperson previously said on behalf of William and Kate, pictured

William listens to Pascal Hundt, Senior Crisis Manager, International Committee of the Red Cross, dialling in on a video call from Gaza

Later in the episode, Ms Vine said her 'allergic reaction' this week was to a story about an NHS trust saying that hormone-filled milk from trans women is just as good for babies as women's naturally occurring breastmilk.

In disgust at the story, Ms Vine said: 'Actually just no. On any level.

'Can I just say it's so insulting to mothers because breastfeeding is quite a difficult, contentious issue. A lot of people can't do it, a lot of people struggle with it.

'It's the female identity that is being eroded here.'

The Reaction, which sees our columnists and special guests share their insight and views on the biggest topics of the day - no matter how contentious, will be broadcast at 6pm every Wednesday on the Daily Mail's YouTube channel.

The latest episode can be watched tonight at YouTube.com/DailyMail