Prince Harry Says He’s ‘Incredibly Proud’ of U.K.'s Coronavirus Response: ‘Wonderfully British’
Prince Harry is full of praise for the way people across the U.K. have banded together in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Declassified podcast, which highlighted the ways veterans are stepping up to aid in coronavirus relief, the Duke of Sussex, a military veteran himself, said that the response he’s seen has made him “incredibly proud.”
“I’m honoured to be a veteran, and honoured to be part of that community,” he said. “I’m just so incredibly proud to see what these individuals up and down the country and across the world are doing on a day to day basis, I think what has happened especially in the U.K. is the very best of the human spirit.”
The episode focused on the work of Team Rubicon UK, a disaster response organization that uses a military approach to help those in need. Harry has worked with the organization in the past, joining a 2015 humanitarian operation in Nepal following a devastating earthquake.
The organization recently launched Op RE:ACT, calling upon veterans to once again step forward to help their country through this challenging time.
Harry went on to praise the National Health Service as well as the “thousands of people volunteering.”
“It’s such a wonderfully British thing that we all come to help when we need it,” he said.
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He also had wonderful things to say about Captain Tom Moore, a 99-year-old World War II veteran, who has raised millions of dollars for U.K. healthcare workers by walking laps around his backyard garden.
“I think what he’s done is utterly amazing, but it’s not just what he’s done it’s the reaction that people have had as well, I think is just wonderfully British,” said Harry.
Last week, the veteran got another royal shoutout from Harry’s brother Prince William.
“It’s incredible. It’s amazing,” William told BBC Breakfast about Moore’s achievement in a rare TV interview alongside wife Kate Middleton.
“What I love is that he’s a 99-year-old war vet, he’s been around a long time, he knows everything and it’s wonderful that everyone has been inspired by his story and his determination,” added William. “I think he’s a one-man fundraising machine. God knows what the final total will be but good on him. I hope it keeps going.”
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Opening up about what what makes veterans especially valuable volunteers, Harry spoke of “the life experiences that you get in such a short space of time” which help “turn you into what I think is an exceptional human being.”
“You represent something, you represent a community, you represent a certain set of values,” he continued, adding that even “before I became a parent myself,” he’s always maintained that the military community makes for “some of the best role models.”
“I think in today’s culture we need more role models that are willing to put others ahead of themselves,” he continued. “I think again about being part of a unit, being part of a team, [and] for me wearing a uniform that was the same as everybody else, it kind of makes you feel totally equal but at the same time makes you want do everything you can to the person on your left or the person on your right.”
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Since moving to Los Angeles, Harry and wife Meghan Markle have also been extending a helping hand to their community.
Last week, the couple helped distribute meals for Project Angel Food, a non-profit charity that cooks, prepares and delivers meals to people living with critical illnesses who are at greater risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They actually did two deliveries for us — one on Easter Sunday and one on Wednesday — and they’ve done it quietly,” Richard Ayoub, Project Angel Food’s executive director, told PEOPLE. “We’re completely honored.”
“They were extremely down to earth and genuinely interested in every single person they met,” Ayoub continued. “They engaged with our chefs, they engaged with clients — they just wanted to make sure that people felt the love and appreciation. Their goal was really to just honor our chefs and staffs and volunteers by being of service.”
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