Excerpts

The Duke of Sussex asked a friend to discreetly place the letter and a wreath at the Burma Star Memorial in Staffordshire

Prince Harry has paid special tribute to his late grandfather, Prince Philip, in a personal letter secretly placed at the National Memorial Arboretum, after Friday's national service of remembrance, attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla.

The Duke of Sussex asked a friend to discreetly place the letter and a wreath at the Burma Star Memorial in Staffordshire, after Their Majesties had departed, in an effort not to distract from official royal commemorations, which marked 80 years since Japan's surrender at the end of the Second World War.

Friday's service brought together 33 veterans aged between 96 to 105 who served in the Far East and Pacific, alongside King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prime Minister.

In the poignant letter, Prince Harry said: "For me, this anniversary carries an added layer of meaning. My late grandfather, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, served in the Pacific campaign. He spoke with quiet humility about those years, but I know how deeply he respected all who stood beside him in that theatre of war. Today, as I think of him, I think also of each of you, of the shared hardships, the bonds forged, and the legacy you leave."

The Duke of Sussex was understood to be close to his late grandfather before he died, and previously described him as "a man of service, honour and great humour".

The late Duke of Edinburgh was mentioned in dispatches for his bravery during the Battle of Cape Matapan in the early years of the war, before serving in the Far East.

Prince Philip, husband of the late Queen Elizabeth II, was present in Tokyo Bay for the formal Japanese surrender in September 1945.

Last Friday, King Charles addressed the nation to pay tribute to the so-called Forgotten Army – recalling his grandfather, King George VI's, broadcast on VJ Day 1945.

Posted by HogwartsZoologist

8 comments

  1. Okay, so… if the friend was supposed to place it there discreetly… How the hell are we reading about it in the GB News (of all outlets) with a description of the instructions provided? (I mean, the photo…not exactly what I’d have imagined saying ‘place it discreetly’, lol)

  2. Oh yes. Definitely super secret and never intended for public consumption. Totally.

  3. Everything sussexes do is so secretive that it becomes public few just days after 😩 poor them

  5. These comments are asinine and I don’t really like this genre of criticism where people act dense about philanthropy and publicity.

    Harry released the letter itself, it’s for a charity he’s invested in And it’s all to commemorate VJ Day which is a public day of remembrance. The only one framing it as some super secret thing is GB News. News outlets often say things are intimate and private to get clicks.

  6. Between this making it to the press, that newly released big “exclusive” about William & Harry in people mag, & then the whole “being considered for a potential godfather just like William is” is making think this is just extra silly season clickbait or Harry’s new US & UK PR team are putting in some work.

  8. It’s a nice gesture, but I wish he had been kinder to his grandparents when they were still alive. The timing of the Oprah interview was just brutal. It hurts to think QEII had to deal with such stress when her beloved husband of 73 years was dying.

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