Harry’s army friend urges Kate to talk about cancer
AS THE Duke of Sussex prepares to return to Britain for the tenth anniversary celebrations of the Invictus Games he founded, one of his closest allies is doing his bit to try to ease the acrimony between Harry and his brother.
television presenter JJ Chalmers, who is a trustee of the Invictus Games Foundation, which organises the sporting event for injured and sick service personnel, has spoken publicly about how he identifies with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis following Catherine’s cancer diagnosis.
‘I was a similar age to George when my mum was diagnosed with cancer for the first time, so I know how it feels as a kid,’ Chalmers tells me.
His mother, Liz, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993. It returned six years later and she had to undergo chemotherapy. ‘thankfully, my mum made it, but my auntie didn’t.’ Chalmers, 37, was born in Edinburgh where his parents worked for the Church of Scotland.
His father, John, was one of Queen Elizabeth’s chaplains. During a six- month tour of afghanistan with the Royal Marines in 2011, Chalmers was caught up in an IED explosion, in which he suffered facial injuries, lost two fingers and his right elbow disintegrated.
As part of his recovery, Chalmers took part in the Invictus Games in 2014 where he met Prince Harry and the pair quickly became friends.
Chalmers appeared as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, using his time on the show to speak openly about his disability. He is now spearheading a campaign by Zurich UK to encourage long-term sick employees to go back to work.
Chalmers urges Catherine to follow suit and use her ‘ influence’ to raise awareness about cancer.
‘She and her family will be able to make the world a slightly better place,’ he says.