Prince Harry urges charities to put veterans first

PRINCE HARRY has warned military charities they must stop competing for publicity and profile; urging them to put the health of veterans above their “individual brands”.

The Prince, who served in the Armed Forces for a decade, said there must be “no excuses” for the numerous charities aimed at helping veterans failing to align, arguing they are currently losing “good people” from the system.

In a major speech, the Prince warned that veterans needing help with their mental health come up against a “confusing array of support”, with “extra layers and complication” thanks to numerous organisations.

The Prince and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have recently worked to bring charities – including Combat Stress, Help for Heroes, The Royal British Legion and Walking with the Wounded – together under Contact, a partner of Heads Together. Speaking at the Veterans’ Mental Health Conference at King’s College London, the Prince disclosed that he had taken Meghan Markle, his fiancée, to visit Colchester Garrison, where they heard veterans’ stories that “shocked us to our core”.

Hailing the “significant developments” in the way charities worked together as part of Contact, he said each had recognised that “we needed to put our organisational differences aside to better support the Armed Forces and veteran community”.

“We have all been guilty of adding extra layers and complication to an already confusing array of support,” he said. The Prince, founder of the Invictus Games, has previously worked extensively to raise the profile of Walking With the Wounded, including accompanying them on treks.

Speaking yesterday, he said it was time for charities to work together to share resources, access and problemsolve as a collective, asking them to sign up to 10 guiding principles and use a “common, universal language”.

“The veterans should always be our number one concern,” he said. “To achieve success, we must align, we must connect and we must get better. We are losing good people, so no more excuses, please – let’s work together.” ♦ The Ministry of Defence was last night investigating claims that four soldiers from Prince Harry’s old regiment were caught taking cocaine in a Windsor pub, two months before his wedding in the city to Meghan Markle. According to The Sun, four troopers from the Household Cavalry were barred from the pub and sent for drugs tests by their senior officers.