A soldier who swore to protect the Queen with his life has ditched his post to fight in Ukraine.
The 19-year-old Coldstream Guardsman quit his role in Windsor to take up arms fighting Vladimir Putin ’s forces in eastern Europe.
The teenager is one of several Brits believed to have deserted their posts to join the war effort.
Ministry of Defence (MoD) agents are believed to be attempting to find the teenager over fears Russia could see the soldier signing up as Britain joining the fighting.
The move potentially threatens to undo progress made by the West to avoid the dire situation unravelling into a worldwide conflict.
A source told The Sun he wrote to his parents before going AWOL.
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The insider said: “He’d had enough. He got promised a tour to Afghanistan, same as a lot of other lads after all the ceremonial stuff. But that didn’t happen.
“A lot of the lads are fed up. They were promised an operational tour and it got pushed under their noses for about three or four years. Then when the tour was supposed to come about, it got cancelled.
“He probably thinks he could do some good out there but it’s a very misguided decision.”
Several of the army’s top brass has slammed the teen’s decision to leave his post.
It comes as Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told the BBC she supported Brits going to fight in Ukraine.
She said: “That is something people can make their own decisions about.
“The people of Ukraine are fighting for freedom and democracy, not just for Ukraine but for the whole of Europe.
“Absolutely, if people want to support that struggle I would support them in doing that.”
Defence secretary Ben Wallace later clarified only Brits with military experience and who are no longer in the British Armed Forces should consider joining the war effort.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier called on soldiers around the world to boost his army’s numbers by creating an “international legion”.
Last week he revealed more than 16,000 foreigners had volunteered to fight.
He said: “We have nothing to lose but our own freedom.”
A spokesman for the MOD said: “All Service Personnel are prohibited from travelling to Ukraine until further notice.
“This applies whether the Service Person is on leave or not. Personnel travelling to Ukraine will face disciplinary and administrative consequences.”
Buckingham Palace was approached for comment.
