Prince Harry boasts about ‘never leaving military community’ despite being stripped of honours & medals
PRINCE Harry has boasted about "never leaving the military community" despite being stripped of his honours and medals.
The Duke of Sussex has sat down for a wide-ranging chat for the first time since Charles postponed all public-facing duties.
Harry was stripped of his military titles including Captain General of the Royal Marines when he and Meghan stepped down.
He is also banned from wearing his ceremonial military uniform because he is no longer a working royal.
But the Duke of Sussex told Will Reeve on Good Morning America that you "never leave the military community".
Harry said: "Once you leave the military from a uniform standpoint, you never leave the community and to have the games every other year but then also to be able to do a one year to go event as well, is literally my annual fix.
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"To be amongst this community and have a laugh, have fun, no matter which nation they're from, the banter is the same.
"I get a lot of energy just from being around these guys."
He was permitted - against protocol - to don his Blues and Royals No 1 Uniform and medals for a vigil at the late Queen Elizabeth II's vigil at Westminster Hall, in September 2022.
It comes as...
- Harry talked about becoming a US citizen in a new bombshell interview
- He opened up on family life and gave a rare insight into Archie & Lilibet’s personalities
- Harry broke his silence on the King's cancer diagnosis
- He hopes King Charles' cancer diagnosis will heal his family's rift
On today's show, Harry also spoke about King Charles who is bravely battling cancer.
The Duke said: "I spoke to him. I jumped on a plane and went to go and see him as soon as I could.
"I love my family. The fact I was able to get on a plane and see him and spend any time with him - I'm grateful for that."
Asked if the King's illness could have a reunifying effect on the family, he added: "Yeah sure.
"Through all these families I see on a day-to-day basis the strength of the family unit coming together.
"Any illness, any sickness brings family together."
How Harry lost his military titles and honours
QUESTIONS over Prince Harry's military service began rising when he officially stepped down from the royal family, along with Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Sussex served in the Army for ten years, undertaking two tours of Afghanistan.
The father of two rose to the rank of Captain at the peak of his military career which began in 2004.
Harry was stripped of military titles in 2020 after he and Meghan Markle made the decision to step back from royal life.
Prince Harry lost three honorary military titles.
These are: Captain General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington and Commodore-in-Chief Small Ships and Diving.
Harry was initially not expected to be allowed to wear his uniform to royal events taking place to honour Queen Elizabeth II, who died aged 96 on September 8 2022.
But King Charles said that his son could wear his military uniform as he stood guard of the Queen's coffin alongside his brother, Prince William.
Harry is then filmed speaking to a Ukrainian woman over Google Translate whose brothers are injured in hospital after fighting Russia.
Asked what Harry feels when he hears her story, he replied: "It stirs the emotions.
"It is not lost on me. It is not lost on any of us. The thousands of Ukrainians that are being injured now."
In 2020, the Duke moved to the US with his wife, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, after they stepped back as senior royals.
Harry, who lives in California with his wife and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, jetted to the UK last week to see the King.
Last night, Harry and Meghan issued a defiant message in response to fierce criticism for their rebrand, saying they "will not be broken".
Harry and Meghan were week slammed for launching a new rebranded website - using their royal titles and crest - amid the monarch's health woes.
The couple are in Vancouver this week to mark 12 months before Harry's Invictus Games 2025.
Reeve was seen joining the Sussexes during their events on Wednesday.
And this morning the channel dropped a teaser of the interview that will air today.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Canada on Tuesday to mark one year until the Invictus Games are held there in 2025.
Prince Harry's bombshell interviews
PRINCE Harry's Good Morning America interview is his latest bombshell appearance on TV.
Here's a full list of all the other interviews Harry has done since Megxit
March 2021 - Oprah Winfrey
Harry and Meghan's bombshell Oprah interview left viewers gobsmacked.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed no subject was "off limits" during the explosive chat.
The interview unlocked a host of jaw-dropping remarks, racking up over 6,000 complaints from British viewers and even prompting a response from the Queen.
Meghan sent shockwaves through the Royal Family when she told Oprah that Archie wasn't made a prince after "concerns and conversations" about "how dark" his skin would be when he was born.
The Duchess said there had been conversations with Prince Harry and a "family" member about their unborn son and what colour his skin would be - and "what that would mean or look like".
Meghan said: "In those months when I was pregnant, all around the same time: we have in tandem he won’t be given security, a title and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born."
Oprah was left stunned and replied: "What? There is a conversation…hold on. Hold up. Hold up. Stop right now."
Meghan replied: "Potentially, and what that would mean or look like."
Meghan was pregnant with daughter Lilibet when she spoke with Oprah, announcing during the chat that she and Harry would be having a baby girl.
She left jaws dropping after addressing her and Kate's bridesmaid dress row after telling Oprah Kate made HER cry in the lead up to her wedding.
Meg told Oprah it had been difficult to see a "narrative that didn't happen" surface after it was reported she left Kate in tears over her demands for Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid dress.
She instead told the chat show Queen: "The reverse happened.
"A few days before the wedding she was upset about something, pertaining to... the flower girl dresses, and it made me cry. And it really hurt my feelings.
"There wasn't a confrontation and I don't think it's fair to her to get into the details of that because she apologised, and I have forgiven her.
"What was hard to get over was being blamed for something that not only I didn't do, but that happened to me."
To this day, it remains unclear what caused all the tears.
Prince Harry famously told Oprah his dad stopped taking his calls after quitting royal life and said he was "cut off" financially by the Royal Family.
He told how he "didn't have a plan" after the bombshell move and the idea to collaborate with brands like Spotify and Netflix were only suggested to him later.
He told Oprah: "We didn't have a plan.
"[Signing lucrative deals] was suggested by somebody else by the point of where my family literally cut me off financially, and I had to afford security for us."
Prince Charles' annual review, however, revealed Charles had in actual fact given his both his sons a share of £4.5million after Megxit.
May 2021 - Dax Shepard
Harry swore as he asked podcast host Dax Shepard about what it was like to take a “s***load” of drugs.
During the Armchair Expert podcast, Shepard spoke candidly about his drug use in the past and was quizzed by the Duke of Sussex about his path to sobriety.
Harry also revealed he feels "more free" since his move to LA, where he lives with Meghan Markle and son Archie.
He told the podcast: “Living here now I can actually lift my head and actually I feel different, my shoulders have dropped, so has hers, you can walk around feeling a little bit more free.
“I can take Archie on the back of my bicycle. I never had the chance to do that.”
January 2023 - Tom Bradby
The Duke of Sussex sat down with the ITV journalist ahead of the release of his tell-all memoir Spare.
Bradby asked Harry about his bombshell claim that he and William once got into a physical fight over Meghan.
Harry claimed that William "grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace and knocked me to the floor".
He also hit back at claims that he launched a scathing attack on Queen Consort Camilla when they were introduced.
Harry revealed that he said he only cried once after his mother died - and it was at her burial.
The couple were once again snapped at the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort in British Columbia on Thursday.
They spoke to participants who will be doing skeleton bobsledding as they joined a training session in the run up to the Invictus Games.
CHARLES BACK TO WORK
On Wednesday, Charles headed straight back to work in London before returning to Sandringham to recover after more cancer treatment.
The monarch, 75, looked in good spirits as he headed to Buckingham Palace for state business.
After going through his red boxes and meeting palace officials, Charles headed back to Sandringham via helicopter for some rest.
His Majesty is said to have started receiving “pioneering” treatment and will return regularly to the capital for care.
Charles is expected to have further cancer treatment as an out-patient in London this month and the Palace has yet to set a date for his return to frontline duties.
Since 2003, Charles has lived at Clarence House, his official London residence mainly used for working engagements.
Charles personally told Harry about his cancer diagnosis in what is understood to have been a warm conversation over the phone.