Ahead of his visit to Toronto, Prince Harry wrote an essay called “The Bond, The Banter, The Bravery: What it means to be British.” The first thing I saw about this essay was Tom Sykes’ Royalist piece about how Harry is telegraphing a desire to move back to the UK. Harry is not doing that. Harry was not doing that in September when he visited the UK for four days, and the British papers projected their desire to “have Harry back” by claiming that he was considering a move out of California. During that September newscycle, Harry’s office even released a statement saying: Harry is very happy in California and has no plans to live in the UK. So, this is just another round of that dumbf–k speculation. Here’s Harry’s full essay:

Every November the world, for a moment, grows quieter. We pause, together, to remember.

Remembrance has never been about glorifying war. It’s about recognising its cost: the lives changed forever and the lessons paid for, through unimaginable sacrifice. It’s also about honouring those who, knowing that cost, still choose to serve.

Earlier this year, I was invited to Ukraine (Slava Ukraini!) to spend time with friends at the Superhumans centre; men and women rebuilding their lives after devastating injuries. In every face, both military and civilian, I saw resilience and a fierce determination not to be defined by what had been taken from them. They reminded me that bravery is not the absence of fear, but the triumph of purpose over it. There is a similar stoic spirit of self-deprecation and humour in Ukrainians, that I recognise more than any other, in us Brits.

Though currently, I may live in the United States, Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for. The banter of the mess, the clubhouse, the pub, the stands ridiculous as it sounds, these are the things that make us British. I make no apology for it. I love it. That same spirit lives in every member of our Armed Forces and the families who serve beside them.

You need only spend a few hours at the Invictus Games to feel it. There, you see courage reborn, camaraderie restored, and proof that service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. In my capacity as their Global Ambassador, this week, I wrote to families from Scotty’s Little Soldiers, the UK charity supporting children of Britain’s fallen heroes.

Every year, I’m moved by their strength; sons and daughters who wear yellow and black scarves in honour of their parents, many of them marching proudly at the Cenotaph this weekend. They don’t march with bitterness, but with love and pride.

They carry forward their parents’ legacy of service even as their own hearts bear the cost of it. Because when one person serves, the whole family serves. And when one falls, the whole community feels that loss.

Remembrance, then, is not simply a minute’s silence. It’s a call to collective responsibility. Not through sympathy, but through admiration and respect.

I’ve had the privilege of serving alongside men and women from all four corners of the UK; from Antrim to Anglesey, Lancashire to London, Wrexham to the East Riding, Belfast to Bedfordshire and beyond. I saw courage and compassion in the harshest conditions imaginable. But I also saw how easy it can be, once the uniform comes off, for those who gave everything, to feel forgotten.

Our duty to them does not end when their service does. The protection they offered us must be returned through opportunity and respect for the rest of their lives. That’s not charity; it’s reciprocity. They safeguarded our freedom. We must safeguard their future. That way we all benefit.

As we look around the world this Remembrance Sunday and, on the 11th, peace for those lucky enough to know it, feels more fragile than ever. Institutions built to protect it are being strained, and for many, peace is not known at all. Remembrance isn’t confined to one weekend in November. It’s a lifelong commitment to empathy, gratitude, and action; to be kinder, more united, and braver in protecting what those before us fought to preserve.

So, as we bow our heads this weekend, let us remember not only the fallen, but the living – those who still carry the weight of war in body and mind, and the families who bear its memory in their hearts. If you live near them, knock on their door. If you see them around, shake their hand. And if you feel so inclined, join them for a cuppa…or a pint, to hear their story and remind them their service still matters.”

[From The Independent]

I hope someone reads this to Prince William during one of his oral briefings, because you know William can’t or won’t read it himself. As for this: “Though currently, I may live in the United States, Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for…” I take it as Harry saying that they took away his military patronages and they took away his uniforms, but he will always be a British soldier and he will always carry that service with him, wherever he goes and wherever he lives. He wasn’t sending some kind of half-coded message that he plans to move back to the UK. He was saying that he will always be proud of his military service.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.