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Prince Harry took to the skies outside Toronto for a charity skydive, fulfilling a promise he had previously made to 102-year-old Second World War veteran Ed Marshall.
The 42-year-old Duke of Sussex jumped from the aircraft as part of a fundraising effort supporting two organisations connected with Canada’s military community, Sunnybrook and the True Patriot Love Foundation.
Mr Marshall had originally hoped to participate in the skydive himself, having already marked his 100th birthday with a jump. However, doctors ultimately decided that another attempt would not be safe for him. Instead, his grandson Bailey stepped in and joined Harry for the descent.
Although he could not make the jump, Mr Marshall, who is due to turn 103 in the coming months, still boarded the aircraft and enthusiastically supported Harry and Bailey as they prepared to leap.
After safely reaching the ground, Harry celebrated by kissing the spot where he landed before calling his wife, Meghan Markle.
Asked whether Meghan had needed any convincing before he took part, Harry replied: “I didn’t have to convince her, but she was relieved once we were down. It took quite a while to get up, so I think she was like, ‘Are they down yet? Are they down yet?'”
Harry’s connection with Mr Marshall began in November, when the Duke visited the veterans centre at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. The pair quickly bonded through their shared dedication to military service and their commitment to supporting servicemen and women.
Mr Marshall’s previous parachute jump clearly stayed in Harry’s mind. The former paratrooper had trained during the Second World War and later completed a skydive of his own, helping inspire the idea for another airborne challenge.
The Sunnybrook Foundation explained: “The idea stuck, and together, they devised a plan for another jump.”
A medical assessment ultimately prevented the 102-year-old veteran from joining Harry for the actual descent. However, Mr Marshall was still fitted with a parachute before boarding the aircraft, briefly leaving others wondering whether he might attempt the jump after all.
Speaking to CTV afterwards, Harry joked: “They did put a parachute on him. We did think that he was probably going to jump by himself — glad he didn’t and he’s still here!”
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Harry explained that Mr Marshall had been eagerly anticipating the challenge, making the Duke determined not to disappoint the Second World War veteran even after doctors prevented him from taking part in the jump himself.
The Prince said: “Ed’s been really excited about this. There’s no version where you can let a 102-year-old veteran down. He was devastated that he couldn’t jump, but it was great to have him in the back.”
Bailey, who stepped in to make the descent in his grandfather’s place, expressed his family’s appreciation for Harry’s involvement and the personal interest he had shown in Mr Marshall’s military service.
He said: “You would never assume that somebody with your schedule would do something to put yourself on the line for one, and just to take the time to take interest in what he’s done and his service and your service has been surreal for our family.”
Harry, meanwhile, jokingly suggested that responsibility for getting him into the aircraft rested entirely with Mr Marshall.
He said: “I’ve just been blaming Ed anyways. I said, ‘I can’t, I don’t want to do it, I wish I could get out of it,’ but Ed is very persuasive!”
The Duke also briefly spoke about life with his family, saying: “It’s been great. It’s been great to be back on British soil,” before making a joke inspired by his latest adventure: “It’s great to be back on terra firma, actually!”
Harry then offered an update on his children and his preparations for the upcoming Invictus Games.
“The kids are happy in school, and it gives me a chance to really focus on Invictus in Birmingham,” he said. “The Games are in July next year.”
