The Duke of Sussex made a surprise appearance on BBC's The One Show on Monday as he recorded a special video message. Prince Harry spoke to war veterans supported by the CASEVAC Club (pronounced cazzy-vack, a military phrase meaning ‘Casualty Evacuation’), which is a members only club for those seriously wounded in combat during recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Its establishment was inspired by the now disbanded Guinea Pig Club (GPC), a social club that began in 1941 as a support network for British aircrew who had experienced serious burns and subsequently contributed to the development of plastic surgery. The Duke of Edinburgh was President of the GPC.
VIDEO: Prince Harry shares a glimpse inside his new home in LA
Speaking from his new home in Los Angeles, Prince Harry joined a Zoom call on Tuesday last week to talk to Maggie Wilson, widow of former GPC member Sandy Saunders and Andy Perry, son of former GPC member Jack Perry. Founding members of the CASEVAC Club, David Wiseman and Dave Henson, were also on the call, as were other veterans who Harry has worked with on many projects, including the Invictus Games.
Harry was all smiles as he chatted on the special Zoom call
Harry said: "Hello everybody, The One Show got in touch to ask if I could shine a light on a group of veterans that lots of people might not know about." The royal addressed each group member to ask them about their individual experiences, and cheekily asked Maggie whether her husband had good lips for kissing. "When you met him, can I ask, did he have good lips for kissing?" he said. Following the interview, host Alex Jones pointed out that Harry had a "promising" career as a reporter.
The Duke sent a special video message to competitors on Saturday 9 May, on what would have marked the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games 2020 in The Hague. Organisers are hoping to reorganise the sporting event for 2021.
Meghan read to Archie on his first birthday. Copyright: The Duke of Sussex/Save The Children
Last week, Harry and Meghan marked their son Archie's first birthday by releasing an adorable video of the Duchess reading Duck! Rabbit! to the tot. The Sussexes highlighted the work of Save the Children's "Save With Stories" campaign, to support vulnerable families in the UK and US during the coronavirus pandemic.
Archie giggled at his dad Harry behind the camera as Meghan revealed her sweet nickname for her son – Arch. The young royal was born on 6 May 2019 at the Portland Hospital in London and is seventh-in-line to the throne behind his father. The Sussexes have retained their Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage, but are now living in the States after living on Vancouver Island in Canada for a brief period. Harry and Meghan said they plan to split their time between North America and the UK as they announced their decision to step back from royal duties in January 2020.
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