The California-based Prince Harry on Wednesday called on people not to forget military veterans, as he expressed his enduring pride at being British.<\/p>\n
Harry made his comments ahead of Britain’s annual commemoration of its war dead on Sunday.<\/p>\n
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”.<\/p>\n
And he listed some of the things he loved about his country.<\/p>\n
“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<\/p>\n
“I make no apology for it. I love it,” he added.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“But I also saw how easy it can be, once the uniform comes off, for those who gave everything, to feel forgotten,” he said.<\/p>\n
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”.<\/p>\n
Harry strained relations with his family when he stepped away from royal duties in 2020 and later published his memoir “Spare”.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He has since voiced hopes for a “reconciliation” and in September met his father, in London.<\/p>\n
Charles, 76, is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer which was announced in early 2024.<\/p>\n
The nation will honour its war dead on Sunday at a remembrance service at the Cenotaph memorial in central London.<\/p>\n
After leaving the army Harry founded the Invictus Games, a high-profile sporting event for wounded soldiers and veterans.<\/p>\n
He said the annual remembrance was not about “glorifying war”.<\/p>\n
“It’s about recognising its cost: the lives changed forever and the lessons paid for, through unimaginable sacrifice,” he added.<\/p>\n
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