Harry says Captain Tom is utterly amazing and urges military veterans to volunteer for the NHS
Video report by ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship
Prince Harry has spoken from his new home in Los Angeles about the “very best of the human spirit” on show as Britain responds to the coronavirus crisis.
Harry also praised the “utterly amazing” Captain Tom – the 99-year-old who walked 100 lengths of his garden to raise millions for NHS charities.
The Duke of Sussex, who officially stopped being a working member of the Royal Family at the end of March, joined a podcast for military veterans and urged as many former military personnel as possible to volunteer to support frontline workers.
The prince said: “I want to say a huge thank you, as we all do, to all the NHS workers and everybody that’s volunteering.”
Despite being a resident of California now, Harry said the volunteering effort to support the NHS was “a very British thing”.
“There are literally hundreds of thousands of people volunteering”, he said.
"It’s such a wonderfully British thing that we all come to help when we need it.”
Harry has also been amazed by Captain Tom Moore, who has now raised more than £25 million by walking the lengths of his garden – and the money is still coming in.
The duke said: “Congratulations to Tom. What he’s done is utterly amazing. It’s not just what he’s done but it’s the reaction that people have had as well – just wonderfully British.”
Talking of the 99-year old military veteran, Harry said: “I am honoured to be a veteran. I am honoured to be part of that community.”
Prince Harry and Meghan have now settled in Los Angeles with their son Archie after leaving the Royal Family.
Some newspapers have run paparazzi pictures of the couple out walking their dogs.
ITV News does not publish paparazzi photographs but Harry and Meghan were pictured wearing face masks as people are supposed to do in California.
But Harry has been following the alarming developments in the UK as the death toll from Covid-19 have been rising by 800 per day.
The NHS was inundated with offers from 750,000 volunteers after appealing for help recently.
“What has happened especially in the UK is the very best of the human spirit”, Harry said.
The prince joined the ‘Declassified’ podcast– which is for the military community.
The episode was highlighting the work of Team Rubicon which organising volunteering for former members of the military.
Harry has previously worked with Team Rubicon in Nepal when British military veterans joined the humanitarian operation there after the 2015 earthquake.
Harry said: “I've said in the past, before I became a parent myself, but for those with the mums and dads out there who sometimes struggle to see who the role models are that are appropriate for their kids I always say that the military community … are, to me some of the best role models.”
The Chief Executive of Team Rubicon, Richard Sharp, himself a veteran, said: “Our main effort has been to support the incredible NHS. We've been watching the most unbelievable committed service to this country by doctors, nurses, respiratory physios, and it was clear that we had to do everything we could to support them.”