•Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (C)
The California-based Prince Harry today called on people not to forget military veterans, as he expressed his enduring pride at being British.
Harry made his comments ahead of Britain’s annual commemoration of its war dead on Sunday, reports AFP.
The prince, who did two tours of duty in Afghanistan, said that while he now lived abroad, “Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for”.
And he listed some of the things he loved about his country.
“The banter of the mess (military dining room), the clubhouse, the pub, the (sports stadium) stands — ridiculous as it sounds, these are the things that make us British,” he said
“I make no apology for it. I love it,” he added.
The 41-year-old younger son of King Charles III, Harry is largely estranged from his family after quitting royal duties with his wife Meghan five years ago.
In a personal piece released by his US office, the prince said he had witnessed “courage and compassion in the harshest conditions imaginable” during his time in the armed forces.
“But I also saw how easy it can be, once the uniform comes off, for those who gave everything, to feel forgotten,” he said.
He urged people to knock on veterans’ doors and “join them for a cuppa (cup of tea) or a pint” to hear their stories and “remind them their service still matters”.
Harry strained relations with his family when he stepped away from royal duties in 2020 and later published his memoir “Spare”.
The blockbuster book released in January 2023 upset Buckingham Palace with its criticism of family members, including his brother William’s wife Catherine and his stepmother Queen Camilla.
He has since voiced hopes for a “reconciliation” and in September met his father, in London.
Charles, 76, is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer which was announced in early 2024.
The nation will honour its war dead on Sunday at a remembrance service at the Cenotaph memorial in central London.
After leaving the army Harry founded the Invictus Games, a high-profile sporting event for wounded soldiers and veterans.
He said the annual remembrance was not about “glorifying war”.
“It’s about recognising its cost: the lives changed forever and the lessons paid for, through unimaginable sacrifice,” he added.
