The Duke of Sussex kept a promise he made to a 102-year-old veteran, and called his wife Meghan right after landing.
Prince Harry is taking his latest charity challenge to new heights.
The Duke of Sussex took part in a daring skydive outside Toronto, keeping a promise to a 102-year-old World War II veteran while raising awareness and support for military charities.
Harry, 42, first met veteran Ed Marshall during a visit to the veterans’ center at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto last November. The two bonded over their shared military backgrounds and their commitment to supporting the veteran community, and came up with a plan to jump out of a plane together.
After a medical assessment found that the 102-year-old veteran could not safely make the jump, Marshall’s grandson, Bailey, stepped in to skydive with Harry in his place. Marshall still joined them on the flight, cheering them on from inside the plane.
“Ed has been really excited about this. There’s no way you can let down a 102-year-old veteran,” Harry told CTV after completing the jump.
“He was heartbroken that he couldn’t jump, but it was wonderful to have him in the back,” Harry added. “They did put a parachute on him. We actually thought he might jump on his own. I’m glad he didn’t, and he’s still with us! And he’ll be 103 in a few months.”
Harry’s first call after the jump was to his wife, Meghan Markle.
“We noticed you called your wife, the Duchess, straight afterwards,” the interviewer said, before asking how hard it had been to convince her to let him do the skydive as a father of two.
“I didn’t need to convince her, but she was relieved once we were on the ground,” Harry said. “It took a long time to get up there, so I think she was asking, ‘Are they down yet? Are they down yet?'”
Harry then jokingly blamed Marshall for getting him into the challenge in the first place.
“I’ve just been blaming Ed anyway,” he said. “I said, ‘I can’t, I don’t want to do it, I wish I could get out of it,’ but Ed is very persuasive!”
For Bailey, making the jump alongside Harry in his grandfather’s place made the moment even more special.
“You’d never expect someone with your schedule to do something like this and put yourself on the line for one person, and simply taking the time to show interest in what he has done and his service, and your own service, has been surreal for our family,” Bailey told Harry. “But just as my grandfather said, he’s just a normal guy. And that’s really the feeling we get.”
Harry also gave an update on life back in the U.K. after moving there with Meghan and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
“It’s been great. It’s been great to be back on British soil,” he said, before joking with a nod to the day’s adventure, “It’s great to be back on solid ground, actually!”
“It’s wonderful. The kids are happy at school, and it gives me the chance to really focus on the Invictus Games in Birmingham,” Harry continued. “The Games are in July next year.”
Marshall, a former paratrooper who trained during World War II, had a particularly memorable story to share with Harry when they first met last autumn. He told the Duke about completing a charity skydive himself to celebrate his 100th birthday, a feat that seems to have inspired Harry to take on the challenge in his honor.
“The idea stuck, and together they came up with a plan for another jump,” the Sunnybrook Foundation said on its fundraising page.
The event benefited two organizations that support Canada’s military community, Sunnybrook and the True Patriot Love Foundation.
Harry’s ties to both charities run deep. True Patriot Love was key in introducing the Duke to Sunnybrook and helped bring the Invictus Games to Canada, first in 2017 and again in 2025.
The charity skydive is one of Prince Harry’s first public appearances since he and Meghan returned to the U.K. with their family for an extended stay.
The high-flying event came just one day after Harry finished a whirlwind visit to New York City, where he made a surprise appearance at Goals House and joined a panel on supporting young people in the workplace and their mental health. The Duke of Sussex also attended the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting during his short trip to the city before heading north to Toronto for the charity jump.