Prince Harry Skydives to Honor Promise to 102-Year-Old WWII Veteran

Prince Harry completed a skydive to fulfil a promise he made to 102-year-old Second World War veteran Ed Marshall before immediately calling Meghan to confirm that he had landed safely.

The Duke of Sussex jumped from a plane near Toronto to raise awareness and funds for two Canadian military charities, Sunnybrook and the True Patriot Love Foundation.

Harry made the commitment to Mr Marshall last year after the veteran told him that he had completed a skydive to mark his 100th birthday.

Inspired by the veteran’s story, the Duke promised to skydive with him when he returned to Toronto.

Harry, who is preparing to host the Invictus Games for military veterans, spoke to Canadian broadcaster CTV after completing the jump.

He said he had not needed to “convince” his wife, Meghan Markle, to support the skydive, although she was “very relieved once we were down”.

“It took a while to get up, so I think she was like, ‘Are they down yet? Are they down yet?’” Harry said.

The Duke’s first action after landing safely was to telephone his wife.

Harry added: “I’m not in the business of letting people down, but you cannot let a 102-year-old veteran down.

“There was the medical evaluation that he had, which meant he couldn’t skydive, and he was devastated that he couldn’t jump, but it was great to have him in the back.

“They did put a parachute on him. We did think that he was probably going to jump by himself.

“We’re glad he didn’t. He’s still here and he’s going to be 103 in two months’ time.”

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Harry also kissed the ground after completing the skydive and touching down safely.

Speaking to CTV, Harry said things were going “great” after his family returned to Britain on August 26.

“It’s been great to be back on British soil,” he said.

Discussing Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, Harry said: “The kids are happy in school and it gives me a chance to really focus on Invictus in Birmingham.”

CTV said it had asked the Duke what prompted the family’s relocation. Harry replied that there were “lots of reasons” but did not provide further details, saying he did not want to take attention away from his fundraising efforts for Canadian veterans’ charities.

The Sussexes stepped down as working royals in 2020 for personal and financial reasons, but rumours remain rife as to why they unexpectedly relocated to the UK from California, where they had created a life away from the institution of the monarchy. 

Speculation ranges from the couple wanting their children to develop a closer relationship with their grandfather the King, Meghan seeking a return to acting and the Sussexes wanting to increase their profile.

In the run-up to their return, Charles was said to be glad to be able to spend more time with the family but remained adamant they would not be working royals, and there was no half-in, half-out option.

Within two weeks of arriving, there was reported pushback from Harry and Meghan after a letter, authorised by the King, was circulated by the Lord Chamberlain to senior stakeholders in the Government and military reiterating the couple were ‘private citizens’ and setting out guidance on how they should be treated.

The duke and duchess were said to be ‘surprised’ by the formal letter and the couple, who are waiting to hear whether they will be given taxpayer-funded security, were reported to prefer the term ‘public figures’ instead.

Schooling has also been an issue for the Sussexes, with Archie and Lilibet moved to a new undisclosed institution after reportedly just two days in class.

The decision came after heavy traffic and the lengthy journey to the school reportedly put their security team under strain.