Prince Harry made a recent appearance on military podcast Declassified, discussing how proud he is to be a veteran.
Prince Harry made a recent appearance on military podcast Declassified, discussing how proud he is to be a veteran and why those with military skills are so valuable during the current global health crisis. His appearance on the podcast also marked the first time IRIS technology was used on a podcast, which offers technology promoting active listening.
Harry talked specifically about the charity Team Rubicon UK -- which helps retrain veterans for humanitarian work when needed -- and their response to the coronavirus pandemic. Team Rubicon UK recently launched the initiative Op RE:ACT, mobilizing military veterans who have answered the nation's call for volunteers. Harry, 35, said he was "hugely" proud to see how the veteran community has responded in the U.K.
"I'm honored to be a veteran and honored to be part of that community," Harry 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. What has happened, especially in the U.K., is the very best of human spirit."
"It's also proving that I think things are better than we're led to believe through certain corners of the media," he added. "It can be very worrying when you're sitting there and the only sort of information you are getting is from certain news channels, but then if you are out and about, or you're on the right platforms, you can really sense this human spirit coming to the forefront."
Harry said he was immensely proud of his home country when seeing people's response to the pandemic. Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, moved to Los Angeles last month with their almost 1-year-old son, Archie, after exiting the royal family. A source recently told ET that Harry has been feeling homesick and "cut off" from his family.
"I want to say a huge thank you, as we all do, to the NHS [National Health Service] workers and everybody that's volunteering," he said on the podcast. "Because up and down the U.K., there are literally hundreds of thousands of people volunteering. ... It's such a wonderfully British thing that we all come to help when we need it."
" ... It just makes me incredibly proud to see the Brits stepping up like this, but I really, really hope that this keeps going after coronavirus and after this whole pandemic has come to a close," he continued.
Harry said that people in the military community should definitely be considered role models.
"I've said in the past, before I became a parent myself, but for those mums and dads out there who sometimes struggle to see who the appropriate role models are for their kids, I always say that the military community ... are, to me, some of the best role models out there," he said. "It's about selflessness rather than selfishness and I think in today's culture, in today's world, we need more role models that are willing to put others ahead of themselves. I think that being part of a unit, being part of a team, and for me, wearing a uniform that was the same as everybody else’s, it kind of makes you feel totally equal, but at the same time makes you want do everything you can for the person on your left and your right."
Harry and Meghan have also stepped up their volunteer efforts amid the coronavirus pandemic. ET confirmed the couple joined Project Angel Food to deliver meals last Wednesday in West Hollywood, California, to 20 clients living with critical illnesses. Richard Ayoub, Project Angel Food's executive director, said the couple first volunteered on Easter Sunday, delivering non-perishable meals.
"They told us they heard our drivers were overloaded and wanted to volunteer to lighten the drivers' workload," Ayoub said.
The couple adhered to the current social distancing guidelines, wearing masks, gloves, and keeping a distance of six feet or more while they personally delivered the meals.
Watch the video below for more.
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