PRINCE Harry has been slammed for his wreath “PR stunt” on VJ Day, with a royal expert saying Phillip would have hated it.
Royal commentator and journalist Robert Jobson told The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show that a lot of people respect Harry for his own service and he didn’t need the “stunt”.
Harry’s letter was put on a wreath by a pal[/caption]
King Charles laid a wreath to pay his respects on VJ Day[/caption]
Our royal expert said it was a PR stunt to upstage William and Kate[/caption]
The honourary day was ‘incredibly emotional’ for the King and Queen[/caption]
“It was obviously a PR stunt. Bottom line is, if you didn’t want it to be a PR stunt, just leave it there.
“Somebody would see it. It would get passed to the press eventually.
“It was a little bit too slick. It was part of Operation Rebuild Harry.
“The King was there. It was incredibly emotional. You could see the tears in Camilla’s eyes.
“It was the King’s day. The Prince and Princess of Wales absolutely should have been there.”
Our Royal Editor replied: “A cynic might argue that Prince Harry maybe saw that as an opportunity to leave a letter there.”
Robert continued: “Yes. A lot of people respected Harry for the Invictus Games, for his own service.
“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.”
The Duke of Sussex, 40, paid a heartfelt tribute to Prince Philip in a note left at the National Memorial Arboretum on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.
The father-of-two trusted one of his pals to place it down alongside a wreath of red poppies at the Burma Star Memorial in Staffordshire on Friday.
Previously he had not been allowed to lay a wreath at the cenotaph.
As reported by GB News, the note was left after King Charles and Queen Camila paid their respects.
VJ Day, commemorated annually on August 15, marks the anniversary of Japan’s surrender to the Allies after the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Harry, who did not attend but stayed at his home in California, wrote: “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 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.”
Jobson said Will and Kate “absolutely should have been there”[/caption]
Harry was previously not allowed to lay a wreath at the cenotaph[/caption]
Prince Philip was in Tokyo Bay on the destroyer HMS Whelp, a warship he served on as second-in-command, when Japanese officials formally signed the surrender on the USS Missouri.
King Charles did not mention his father’s experience during his audio address to the nation on Friday morning.
However he remembered his great uncle Earl Mountbatten, who was the Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia Command.
Harry’s letter, which was addressed to the “Forgotten Army”, read: “On this 80th anniversary of VJ Day, we pause to remember the day the guns finally fell silent across the world, the true end of the Second World War.
“We also pause to recognise you, the men and women of the ‘Forgotten Army,’ whose courage and endurance in the Far East campaign were anything but forgettable.
“You faced an enemy determined to the last, fought in unforgiving terrain, and endured months, even years, far from home, in conditions most could scarcely imagine.
“Your service in the jungles and mountains of Burma and beyond was marked by grit, unity, and sacrifice.
“It is because of that sacrifice that generations since, myself included, have been able to live in freedom.
“From the lessons of that bitter struggle came the understanding that even the fiercest of foes can, in time, become valued partners in peace.
“Today, as both our nations mark this anniversary, we acknowledge the respect earned, the lives lost and the enduring friendship that has since taken root.”
The duke added: “I am humbled by your example, proud of your service and dedication, and profoundly grateful for what you endured.
“Your story is part of our shared heritage, and it must never be forgotten. With the deepest respect, thank you.”
The letter was signed “Harry”, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
Harry was reportedly left saddened in 2020 when he was not allowed to leave a wreath on Remembrance Sunday in the wake of Megxit.
And just months later he was stripped of his military patronages by his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II after his decision to step down as a senior working royal.
The Duke of Sussex paid tribute to his late grandfather[/caption]
Prince Philip passed away in 2021 aged 99[/caption]