The Duke of Sussex has written an essay about what it means to be British.
Prince Harry has written an essay (Image: Getty)
Prince Harry has written an essay on what it means to be British despite walking away from his family and royal duties five years ago. The Duke of Sussex used the 647-word piece to express his pride in the “stoic spirit” and self-deprecating humour of “us Brits” that he has highlighted in the piece, which has been released ahead of Remembrance Day.
While making reference to “pubs” and “banter”, Harry writes: “the banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands” are truly what “make us British” and “I love it.”
The Duke’s essay has been released ahead of his upcoming visit to Canada, during which he will meet with veterans, members of the armed forces community, and representatives of military charities.
Prince Harry served in the Armed Forces (Image: Getty)
The essay has been titled The Bond, The Banter, The Bravery: What it means to be British – By Prince Harry. In it, the Duke asks people to remember “not only the fallen, but the living” who live with the “weight of war” and pleads with people to approach veterans and “join them for a cuppa…or a pint” and listen to their stories to “remind them their service still matters”.
Harry, who left the UK behind in 2020 to move to Montecito, California, with his wife, Meghan Markle, says in the piece that he “currently” lives in the US, but “Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for”.
He goes on to describe how Remembrance is “not simply a minute’s silence,” rather “a call to collective responsibility”.
Prince Harry completed two tours of Afghanistan (Image: Getty)
Paying tribute to servicemen across the UK’s four home nations, he wrote: “I’ve had the privilege of serving alongside men and women from all four corners of the UK; from Antrim to Anglesey, Lancashire to London, Wrexham to the East Riding, Belfast to Bedfordshire and beyond.
“I saw courage and compassion in the harshest conditions imaginable. But I also saw how easy it can be, once the uniform comes off, for those who gave everything, to feel forgotten.”
Prince Harry served in the British Army for 10 years, leaving in 2015. During that time, he completed two frontline tours of Afghanistan and worked as a forward air controller and as an Apache helicopter pilot.
Ever since he relinquished his honorary military titles, Prince Harry has not been able to wear military uniform at UK events, including Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral and committal service. An exception was made, however, for him to wear his uniform to stand vigil around his late grandmother’s coffin in Westminster Hall.
