A soldier who served with Prince Harry in Afghanistan killed himself after he was made to clear IEDs while not fully qualified, which has triggered calls by his former commander for an inquiry, an inquest heard.

Royal Engineer Nathan Hunt, 39, was decorated for his bravery after he successfully identified roadside bombs planted by the Taliban and protected the Duke of Sussex as part of a desert reconnaissance unit in Helmand province in 2008.

But his nerve-racking experiences on the battlefield triggered "nightmares" and struggles with his mental health, an inquest was told.

The Warrant Officer was found hanged at his home in Lincoln on January 2.

At his inquest on Thursday, WO Hunt's former commander Deane Smith said he was not properly qualified to clear IEDs when he was first deployed to Afghanistan in 2008.