95-year old Ghanaian soldier receives surprise from Prince Harry
A heartwarming video shows the sweet moment a Second World War veteran received a ‘marvelous’ letter from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Private Joseph Hammond, 95, who fought in the Second World War in Burma is walking more than 14 miles for frontline workers supporting coronavirus relief.
Taking to Twitter, the pensioner shared the sweet clip and penned: ‘I received a letter from Prince Harry today. This is such a wonderful surprise.’
I received a letter from Prince Harry today.This is such a wonderful surprise. It is absolutely marvellous and I will hold this in my heart forever. I will like to thank Prince Harry for this amazing gift. @RoyalFamily @TheRCSAfrica @GUBAFOUNDATION @forceshelpafri1 @UKinGhana pic.twitter.com/2LBXlLnq3L
— pte.hammond (@pte_hammond) June 12, 2020
‘It is absolutely marvelous and I will hold this in my heart forever. I will like to thank Prince Harry for this amazing gift..’
The Duke of Sussex, who has met Private Hammond at a previous ceremony, penned a letter to Private Hammond after hearing of his heroic efforts.
In the footage, which shows the 95-year-old opening it up in his home in Accra, Ghana, he can be heard reading: ‘Meghan and I would like to send you our warmest wishes.’
Sticking his thumbs up in the air, he enthuses: ‘Wow, it is marvellous. From Harry? This is a surprise for me, the Queen’s own palace. I will show it to my niece.’
To date, Private Hammond has already raised £30,000 on his JustGiving page – but he aims to hit around £500,000.
In a previous TV interview with CNN, Private Hammond commented: ‘This man [Prince Harry] I glued myself to him because he is also a soldier.
‘He went to Afghanistan, and we spoke about the military, my division, my battalion, we exchanged ideas. It was wonderful.’