Prince Harry is paying homage to the Team Rubicon UK charity that he once assisted during the 2015-Nepal earthquakes, as the non-profit organization continues to serve the United Kingdom during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Duke of Sussex during an interview with military podcast Declassified, heaped praises on Team Rubicon UK’s Op RE:ACT initiative as they have deployed over 200 veterans around the country to provide protective gear as well as food to those in need.
“I'm honored to be a veteran, and honored to be part of this community. 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 UK, shows the very best of human spirit,” said Harry.
“It's also proving that I think things are better than we're led to believe through certain corners of the media. It can be very worrying when you're sitting there and the only information you are getting is from certain news channels, but then if you are on the right platforms, you can really sense this human spirit coming to the forefront,” he added.
The duke also lauded the frontline warriors including the National Health Service (NHS) workers relentlessly keeping the fight against COVID-19 going.
“I want to say a huge thank you, as we all do, to the NHS workers and everybody that's volunteering. Because up and down the UK, 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.”
Harry also extended his felicitations to 99-year-old British war veteran Captain Tom Moore, who raised about $29 million for the NHS charities.
“I think what he's done is utterly amazing, but it’s not just what he's done, it’s the reaction that people have had as well. I think it's just wonderfully British,” he said.
“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 added.
Harry also reiterated his support for the military community, having served for a decade in the Armed Forces and undertaking two tours of duty in Afghanistan, he encouraged parents to show examples of the military community to inspire their children.
“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—especially the WIS 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,” he added.
Harry went on to say: “The life experiences that you get in such a short space of time not only grow you up, but they make and turn you into what I think is an exceptional human being... You represent something, you represent a community, you represent a certain set of values, and I believe that those values will be with you for the rest of your life and you want to do everything you can to give back.”