Prince Harry Keeps His Promise to a 102-Year-Old Veteran With a Skydiving Tribute

Prince Harry has followed through on a promise that began with an unexpected conversation in a Toronto veterans centre.

The Duke of Sussex recently took part in a charity skydive in Canada in honour of 102-year-old World War II veteran Ed Marshall. Marshall had hoped to make the jump alongside Harry, but after a medical assessment determined that it would not be safe for him to do so, his grandson Bailey stepped in.

Marshall still joined them aboard the aircraft, watching from the back and cheering as Harry and Bailey made the jump. The moment turned a personal promise between two veterans into a family tribute.

A promise that began in Toronto

Harry first met Marshall during a visit to the veterans centre at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto in November 2025. The two quickly connected through their shared military backgrounds and continued commitment to supporting veterans.

Marshall had trained as a paratrooper during the Second World War. During their conversation, he told Harry about a fundraising skydive he had completed to mark his 100th birthday.

The story stayed with Harry. Before long, the pair had come up with the idea of making another jump together.

Harry’s own military experience made the connection particularly natural. He served for 10 years in the British Army and completed two tours in Afghanistan as a Forward Air Controller and Apache helicopter pilot, according to the Sunnybrook Foundation.

The planned jump was also tied to a charitable cause. The event raised money for Sunnybrook and the True Patriot Love Foundation, organizations that support Canada’s military and veteran communities.

Bailey takes his grandfather’s place

There was one significant change to the original plan.

At 102, Marshall was unable to receive medical clearance to make the jump safely. Rather than abandoning the promise, his grandson Bailey volunteered to take his place.

Bailey joined Harry for the skydive, carrying out the adventure in honour of his grandfather. Marshall, meanwhile, refused to miss the experience altogether. He boarded the aircraft with them and watched from the back as Harry and Bailey took to the sky.

Harry later described how important it was to him to see the promise through.

“Ed’s been really excited about this. There’s no version where you can let a 102-year-old veteran down,” Harry told CTV after completing the jump.

Marshall may not have been able to make the leap himself, but Harry said he was still very much part of the experience.

“He was devastated that he couldn’t jump, but it was great to have him in the back,” Harry said. He added that a parachute had been put on Marshall and joked that they had briefly wondered whether the veteran might try to jump anyway. Harry was relieved that he did not, noting that Marshall would turn 103 in a few months.

Harry’s return to the UK has brought a busy public schedule

The Canadian adventure came as Harry has maintained a busy schedule of public appearances following his return to Britain.

In recent weeks, the Duke of Sussex has appeared at the 2026 WellChild Awards and the Diana Awards, attended the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting in New York, and delivered a speech at the Skift Global Forum.

His September 23 appearance at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York came just two days before the Canadian skydive.

The Toronto connection also adds another chapter to Harry’s long relationship with Canada and its veteran community. His November 2025 visit to Sunnybrook was part of a wider trip connected to Remembrance Day and events supporting Canadian military personnel, veterans and their families.

During that visit, Harry met some of Canada’s oldest veterans at Sunnybrook’s veterans centre, where residents were involved in creative arts activities. The centre provides care for veterans of the Second World War and Korean War.

Meghan Markle was relieved when the jump was over

After landing, Harry was asked whether he had immediately called his wife, Meghan Markle, and whether he had needed to persuade her to accept the idea of him skydiving.

Harry said there had been no need to convince her. Her main concern, he suggested, was simply waiting for the jump to be over.

“I didn’t have to convince her, but she was relieved once we were down,” he said. “It took quite a while to get up, so I think she was like, ‘Are they down yet? Are they down yet?’”

Harry then turned the situation into a joke, saying he had been placing the responsibility squarely on Marshall.

“I’ve just been blaming Ed anyways,” he said. “I said, ‘I can’t, I don’t want to do it, I wish I could get out of it,’ but Ed is very persuasive!”

A promise carried out by three generations

What began with a conversation between Harry and a 102-year-old veteran ultimately became a shared experience involving three generations of the Marshall family and the Duke of Sussex.

Marshall supplied the original inspiration with his own birthday skydive. When he could no longer safely take part, Bailey stepped forward. Marshall still boarded the plane, ensuring he could witness the moment firsthand.

For Harry, backing out was never really an option once he had given the veteran his word.

And when the jump was finally over, his lighthearted explanation was simple: Ed Marshall was persuasive enough to get him into the sky in the first place.