Prince Harry Quietly Honors a WWII Veteran With a Special Gift Ahead of His 100th Birthday

While the royal family celebrated Victory in Europe (VE) Day with pomp and grandeur, Prince Harry quietly conveyed his special thanks to a WWII veteran. The Duke of Sussex, who served in the British Army from 2005 to 2015, shared a special gift with Private Joseph Hammond from Ghana. He honored him with an Invictus medal coin ahead of his 100th birthday. In return, Hammond revealed he gifted the Duke with a copy of his memoir.

On May 7, Hammond took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that he had met ambassadors from the Invictus Games and received a gift. The post read, “It was a great honor to welcome the @WeAreInvictus team to Ghana, just ahead of my birthday this Saturday! I was honored to receive the Invictus Medal Coin from #PrinceHarry and gifted him a copy of my memoir in recognition of his unwavering commitment to veterans’ welfare.” The Duke of Sussex is the founder of the Invictus Games, an international multi-sport event for the wounded, injured, and sick military personnel and veterans.

The thoughtful 100th birthday gift isn't the only time that the Duke has paid homage to the veteran's efforts. Back in 2020, he had sent Hammond a poignant letter thanking him for his efforts to raise money for frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. As reported by People magazine, the letter read, “Given the service and selflessness you have demonstrated throughout your life, it does not surprise me that you would take on a challenge such as this, and that you wanted to walk even more miles.”

Harry and Hammond first met in 2019 when the royal family hosted an event to honor veterans from the British Commonwealth. Harry, who is a military veteran himself, served in the British Army for ten years, including two tours of duty in Afghanistan. Hammond spoke highly of the Prince to CNN and said, “This man, especially, Prince Harry, I glued myself to him because he is also a soldier, he’s been to Afghanistan, and we spoke about the military, my battalion. We exchanged ideas. It was wonderful.” During his time in the military, Harry served as a forward air controller and an Apache helicopter pilot.

The Duke of Sussex has remained dedicated to uplifting the military following his retirement from the British Royal Army in 2015. He co-founded the Invictus Games in 2014, inspired by the Warrior Games in the USA. As per People magazine, back in 2023, Meghan Markle and Harry met with veterans at the grand opening of the Navy SEAL Foundation’s Warrior Fitness Program West Coast facility in San Diego. In 2020, Harry also launched HeadFIT, a digital fitness program designed to help defense personnel and veterans prioritize their mental and physical well-being, even outside active service.