What one of our oldest veterans asked King Charles as they marked the VJ Day anniversary
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Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
Prince Harry's 'painful' letter to royals after William 'gut punch'
The Duke of Sussex left a letter at a war memorial to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, and a royal expert has claimed it sends a "painful" message to the Royal Family. A secret letter that has been left by Prince Harry at a war memorial has been viewed as a significant message to the Royal Family, according to a royal expert. They believe the message is somewhat of a 'gut punch' to his relatives. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, paid a touching tribute to his late grandfather Prince Phillip by leaving the letter placed discreetly at the National Memorial Arboretum on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. According to reports in the Mirror, the ex-working royal asked a pal to quietly leave the note alongside a wreath of red poppies at the Burma Star Memorial after the national commemorations attended by the King and Queen Camilla. The letter was allegedly placed after both Charles and Camilla had left, in a bid to not detract from the service honouring the sacrifice of Second World War heroes who fought and died for their country. Royal expert and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop suggests that this gesture indicates the "gaping hole" Harry has left. Speaking to the Mirror, she said: "Last week's VJ Day anniversary was heavy with emotion; a sombre recall of the cost of conflict 80 years after the end of the Pacific War beneath the leafy calm of Staffordshire's National Memorial Arboretum. "Thirty-three veterans made the journey and were honoured by King Charles, who assured them they would never be forgotten. A perfect day, but one without mention of his forgotten son, Prince Harry, once the Royal Family's most effective military figurehead. "It was only after the King and Queen had departed that a friend of Harry's discreetly laid the Duke's wreath, dedicated to his late Grandfather, Prince Philip, who fought in the Pacific War and those who served with him." She continued: "The letter was thoughtful, detailing the 'unforgiving terrain' and years of endurance 'far from home' that the service personnel endured: it honoured the 'grit, unity and sacrifice' of the 'Forgotten Army'. Its belated discovery at the foot of the Burma Star memorial has served to remind King and country of the gaping hole Harry's absence has left in the commemorative circuit. "With two outstanding tours in Afghanistan - one cruelly cut short - the Duke's easy manner and dashing presence in honorary uniform are much missed. "Women who have lost sons and husbands in Afghanistan speak to the Duke's exceptional presence in their time of grief. No one in the Royal Family was a better fit for this most important commemorative role." Following Harry and his wife Meghan Markle's decision to leave their royal duties and the firm behind back in 2020 and re-locate to the US, the Duke was forced to surrender his honorary military positions. He was also prohibited from placing a wreath at the Cenotaph during Remembrance Sunday several years back. Tessa explained how this recent letter and wreath serve as a subtle reminder for the royals. She elaborated: "There is much talk of the Sussexes' new life in Montecito, of Meghan's influencer success, of Harry's difficulties outside the Royal Family, far less attention is paid to his leave of absence from that other institution, the army, and the Duke's forced abandonment of all his honorary roles. "Having first laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in 2009, it was a painful reminder of the cost of what he had left behind when in 2020, he was forbidden from continuing the practice. "Doubling down on that pain was Prince William's recent appointment as Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps in 2024, making Harry's big brother the leader of the regiment the Duke once flew Apache helicopters for in Afghanistan. In comparison, the Prince of Wales flew search-and-rescue helicopters in Wales. "One more gut-punch for the estranged Duke, whose long letter honouring the Pacific War veterans was a quiet reminder that Harry has not forgotten the most important role he was forced to abandon when he left the Royal Family, even if his family appears to have forgotten him."
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Prince Harry's secret letter sends 'painful' message to royals after William 'gut punch'
EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry arranging for a personal letter and tribute to be left at a memorial to mark VJ Day is a painful reminder for the royals, according to an expert Prince Harry's secret letter that was placed at a war memorial sends a huge message to the Royal Family following a 'gut punch", according to a royal expert. It emerged that the Duke of Sussex paid a poignant tribute to his grandfather, Prince Philip, in the letter secretly left at the National Memorial Arboretum on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. It is said Harry asked a friend to discreetly leave the note and a wreath of red poppies at the Burma Star Memorial following the national commemorations attended by the King and Queen. Notably, the letter was also placed after Charles and Camilla left to avoid distracting from the service, which honoured the sacrifice of Second World War heroes who fought and died in the Pacific and Far East. And according to royal expert and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop, the move shows how Harry has left a "gaping hole" in the Firm. She told the Mirror: "Last week's VJ Day anniversary was heavy with emotion; a sombre recall of the cost of conflict 80 years after the end of the Pacific War beneath the leafy calm of Staffordshire's National Memorial Arboretum. "Thirty-three veterans made the journey and were honoured by King Charles, who assured them they would never be forgotten. A perfect day, but one without mention of his forgotten son, Prince Harry, once the Royal Family's most effective military figurehead. "It was only after the King and Queen had departed that a friend of Harry's discreetly laid the Duke's wreath, dedicated to his late Grandfather, Prince Philip, who fought in the Pacific War and those who served with him. "The letter was thoughtful, detailing the 'unforgiving terrain' and years of endurance 'far from home' that the service personnel endured: it honoured the 'grit, unity and sacrifice' of the 'Forgotten Army'. Its belated discovery at the foot of the Burma Star memorial has served to remind King and country of the gaping hole Harry's absence has left in the commemorative circuit. "With two outstanding tours in Afghanistan - one cruelly cut short - the Duke's easy manner and dashing presence in honorary uniform are much missed. "Women who have lost sons and husbands in Afghanistan speak to the Duke's exceptional presence in their time of grief. No one in the Royal Family was a better fit for this most important commemorative role." After Harry and wife Meghan quit their royal roles, Harry was forced to give up his honorary military titles. He was also prevented from laying a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday several years ago. And Tessa explained how this latest letter and wreath is a quiet reminder for the royals. She added: "There is much talk of the Sussexes' new life in Montecito, of Meghan's influencer success, of Harry's difficulties outside the Royal Family, far less attention is paid to his leave of absence from that other institution, the army, and the Duke's forced abandonment of all his honorary roles. "Having first laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in 2009, it was a painful reminder of the cost of what he had left behind when in 2020, he was forbidden from continuing the practice. "Doubling down on that pain was Prince William 's recent appointment as Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps in 2024, making Harry's big brother the leader of the regiment the Duke once flew Apache helicopters for in Afghanistan. In comparison, the Prince of Wales flew search-and-rescue helicopters in Wales. "One more gut-punch for the estranged Duke, whose long letter honouring the Pacific War veterans was a quiet reminder that Harry has not forgotten the most important role he was forced to abandon when he left the Royal Family, even if his family appears to have forgotten him." Tessa Dunlop is the author of Lest We Forget: War and Peace in 100 British Monuments.
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Daily Record
Rutherglen soldier's World War II medals displayed for VJ Day anniversary
Jack Connor was just 22 when he was called up to serve in the Far East campaign. Cherished medals belonging to a Rutherglen war veteran were on display at the town's library to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. Jack Connor served in Burma during World War II, and his prized medals including the Burma Star were showcased at the library on Main Street in his home town, along with his photos, documents and newspaper articles relating to the Far East campaign, often known as the 'Forgotten War'. He and his comrades were remembered by his daughter Dorothy, who laid a wreath at the town's cenotaph on the poignant occasion, along with displaying a peace lily beside the historic items on display at the library. Jack was called up at the age of just 22 to serve as a gunner in the 311/129th Lowland Field Regiment Royal Artillery, part of the 17th Indian Division, 14th Army – and spent most of his service on the front line fighting in savage battles at Meiktila and Tiddim to secure the safety of India and Burma from the invading Japanese forces. The soldiers endured sweltering jungle heat, disease and hostile terrain, often with little food and few supplies, as they fought a brutal enemy in the Far East campaign. He served for more than three years in the Far East, later telling Dorothy that he was never frightened as 'we had too much to do'. He served for more than three years in Burma and later told how he had marched in the victory parade in Rangoon. Thousands of soldiers continued fighting in the Far East for months after the end of the conflict in Europe; and VJ Day on August 15, 1945, the day Japan surrendered, marked the end of World War II. Dorothy said of her late father: 'When we were growing up he would often say, 'I was in the Battle of Meiktila. I marched in the victory parade in Rangoon', and read from his favourite poem Towards The East. 'When he was in his late 60s he would sometimes wake in the middle of the night thinking he was still fighting the Japanese. As well as the memories in his mind he carried the battle scars on his body, as all his comrades did. 'He met up with other Rutherglen lads but reported that a number had been killed in the first Burma campaign. They were told not to talk about their experiences and just get on with their lives, which they did.' Jack finally returned home to Rutherglen in April 1946 and returned to his work as an engineer and as a trade union shop steward at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow. He married wife Eileen in 1948 and the couple welcomed two children, Dorothy and John. He wore his Burma Star medal at the couple's ruby wedding celebration, and asked for his medals to be brought into hospital in his last hours before he passed away in 1990 at the age of 70. The Burma star was placed on Jack's coffin at his funeral, which was conducted by Dorothy who described him as 'brave to the last'. Months after his passing, his wife and daughter laid a special local tribute on Remembrance Day at at the statue of 14th Army commander Field Marshall William Slim beside the Cenotaph in London. Dorothy said: 'My mum laid down a tiny posy of a red rose and a sprig of heather, tied with tartan ribbon, planted by my dad and grown in rich Rutherglen soil and said, 'you've not been forgotten'. She did that for all the men.' She told how, after the war, her father 'would get on his soap box at Speakers' Corner in Rutherglen Main Street and fight for workers' rights and socialism', and how the bravery and sacrifice of local soldiers have been recognised during the past decade with motions at both the Scottish and Westminster parliaments. Dorothy added of Jack: 'His entry in the book of remembrance at Linn crematorium is a simple one. It's the last line from his favourite poem – 'Tonight, with comrades who have claimed and found me, I march towards the East.'' VJ Day was marked in Lanarkshire with a ceremony led by Lord Lieutenant Lady Susan Haughey and attended by South Lanarkshire provost Margaret Cooper and North Lanarkshire counterpart Kenneth Duffy. They were joined by war veterans, local politicians, clergy and members of the public for the commemoration in Motherwell, where they observed a minute's silence and Lady Haughey laid the first wreath to honour 'the courage and sacrifice of those who fought and suffered so far from home' eight decades earlier. Provost Cooper gave the benediction, while Provost Duffy said: 'We stand here not just to remember history, but to honour real people, fathers, sons, brothers and friends who endured horrors we can scarcely imagine. 'Their courage and sacrifice happened on the other side of the world, but the impact was felt in every town, village and street here at home. Today is about gratitude and saying, in the clearest way we can, 'we haven't forgotten you.' And as long as we keep coming together like this, we never will.' * Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here. And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? 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