Prince Harry accused of 'PR stunt' during King Charles and Queen Camilla's 'tearful' VJ Day appearance
Prince Harry left a heartfelt note at a memorial site last weekPrince Harry has been accused of “PR stunt” behaviour during King Charles and Queen Camilla’s VJ Day appearance.
On VJ Day last Friday (August 15), the Duke of Sussex, 40, reportedly left a letter and wreath to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War Two. In it, he paid tribute to his late grandfather, Prince Philip, who served in the Royal Navy throughout World War II.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams branded Harry’s move a “touching gesture”. However, one royal author doesn’t share the same opinion.
VJ Day marks the anniversary of Japan announcing its surrender to the Allied forces in 1945, in effect bringing the war to an end. The VJ Day anniversary is marked every year, and while Prince Harry didn’t attend a service in the UK, he made his presence known.
What did Prince Harry do for VJ Day?
The Duke of Sussex reportedly trusted one of his friends to set down a note alongside a wreath at the Burma Star Memorial in Staffordshire.
During a service at the National Memorial Arboretum, where the memorial is located, Queen Camilla appeared overcome with emotion. But it is believed that Harry’s note was left after King Charles and Queen Camilla paid their respects.
The note read: “For me, this anniversary carries an added layer of meaning. My late grandfather, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, served in the Pacific campaign.
“He spoke with quiet humility about those years. But I know how deeply he respected all those who stood beside him in that theatre of war. Today, as I think of him, I think also of each of you. Of the shared hardships, the bonds forged and the legacy you leave.”
Harry called out over ‘PR stunt’
For some, the VJ Day tribute from Prince Harry was leaving a lovely gesture. But royal author Robert Jobson believes it was entirely PR related.
Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, Robert said it was “obviously” a PR stunt because of the way it happened.
He said: “If you didn’t want it to be a PR stunt, just leave it there. Somebody would see it. It would get passed on to the press eventually.”
Robert felt the whole thing was part of “Operation rebuild Harry”. He also argued that Princess Kate and Prince William “absolutely should have been there” alongside the king and queen.
He emphasised that “a lot of people” respected Prince Harry for his own military service, and for founding the Invictus Games for wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women.
If you didn’t want it to be a PR stunt, just leave it there.
However, he thinks that this latest move was too far. And he believes Prince Philip would have hated it.
Robert claimed: “You don’t need to do stunts. I can almost hear the derision coming out of The Duke Of Edinburgh’s mouth. The duke was a serviceman. It wasn’t about himself. Harry was advised by his father to think very carefully about what he does. You make your bed, you lie in it.”
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