{"id":216832,"date":"2025-06-26T20:59:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T20:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/216832\/"},"modified":"2025-06-26T20:59:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T20:59:10","slug":"prince-harrys-friend-jaco-van-gass-honored-by-prince-william","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/216832\/","title":{"rendered":"Prince Harry\u2019s Friend Jaco van Gass Honored by Prince William"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prince William<\/strong><\/a> presented Jaco van Gass,<\/strong> a friend of Prince Harry<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s, with a prestigious royal honor amid lingering family drama<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Van Gass, 38, was appointed a member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on Wednesday, June 25, for his services to cycling.<\/p>\n

William, 43, presided over the investiture ceremony<\/a> as part of his duties as the Prince of Wales, also knighting Gareth Southgate<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongratulations Sir Gareth Southgate on a well-deserved knighthood,\u201d a Wednesday, June 25, post on William\u2019s official Instagram<\/a> account read. \u201cFrom your Crystal Palace debut to being England Manager. Thank you for everything you\u2019ve done for football \ud83c\udf96\ufe0f.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: Prince Harry’s Ups and Downs With the Royal Family Over the Years<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tPrince Harry\u2018s relationship with his relatives is complex and complicated. Harry is the youngest son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana. As children, he and his older brother, Prince William, seemed inseparable, but as they got older, cracks began to form in their relationship. \u201cThere\u2019s always been a part of Harry that [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n

Jaco, a Paralympic champion, and wife Kathryn van Gass<\/strong> also celebrated the honor on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cJaco van Gass OBE,\u201d Kathryn wrote via her Instagram Stories hours later on Thursday, June 26, sharing a photo of her spouse outside the Buckingham Palace gates.<\/p>\n

Jaco, who previously received an MBE in 2022, has been friends<\/a> with William\u2019s brother for many years. He and Harry, now 40, both walked more than 200 miles to the South Pole in 2013 on behalf of charity Walking With the Wounded.<\/p>\n

\"Prince-Harry-and-Jaco-Van-Gass-GettyImages-455371312\"
\n Prince Harry congratulates Jaco Van Gass for winning cycling event at the 2014 Invictus Games. Chris Jackson\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cThis extraordinary expedition will raise awareness of the debt that this country owes to those it sends off to fight \u2014 only for them to return wounded and scarred, physically and emotionally,\u201d Harry recalled of the experience in a 2016 British GQ <\/a>profile. \u201cThe debt extends beyond immediate medical care and short-term rehabilitation. These men and women have given so much. We must recognize their sacrifice, be thankful, so far as we can ever repay them for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jaco, an amputee, also competed at Harry\u2019s Invictus Games<\/a> several times and took home multiple gold medals.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Harry] is a good lad and very down to earth,\u201d Jaco told The Independent <\/a>in August 2021 of competing in the Games. \u201cI like a little team environment. I think it\u2019s the common interest of giving our best, being the best athlete and the best individuals that we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: Prince William and Prince Harry\u2019s Complicated Relationship Over the Years<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tPrince William and Prince Harry may be royalty, but their sibling bond is like that of any set of brothers. \u201cTheir relationship is incredibly intimate,\u201d Princess Diana\u2019s biographer Andrew Morton revealed in the November 2019 edition of Royals Monthly. \u201cNobody apart from each other knows exactly \u2014 not even their father \u2014 what\u2019s gone on [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n

Harry stepped back from his duties as a senior working royal in 2020, opting to live a more private life with wife Meghan Markle<\/strong> and their two children in Montecito, California. In that time, Harry has become estranged from William.<\/p>\n

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\n Jaco van Gass with his MBE honor in 2022. Andrew Matthews – Pool\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cHarry and Meghan are highlighting a life of fun and lightness while William\u2019s is dominated by duty and public service,\u201d a source exclusively told Us Weekly <\/a>in the latest cover story. \u201cThey are worlds apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

The source further claimed to Us that William still holds resentment toward his sibling. (William and Harry are the two sons of King Charles III<\/strong> and late ex-wife Princess Diana<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n

\u201cHarry left a large gap in William\u2019s world, not just personally but practically,\u201d the insider added. \u201cThe whole idea was for Harry to work hand-in-hand with William and to divide and conquer during William\u2019s monarchy. So Harry not being there is tough. He feels deserted by his brother \u2014 not that he would ever say that out loud.\u201d<\/p>\n

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