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Prince Harry jumped from a plane north of Toronto to raise money for veterans charities and fulfill a promise to a 102-year-old veteran, then told CTV News he loves Canada.
Prince Harry parachuted from a plane north of Toronto on Friday and told CTV News that Canada plays an incredibly important role in moral leadership in today's world.
He spoke in an exclusive interview with CTV News Chief News Anchor Omar Sachedina shortly after landing safely in an open field in Innisfil, Ontario. Asked about ongoing trade tensions with the United States and what message he had for Canadians, the Duke of Sussex said he loves every single thing about Canada. He said Canada plays an incredibly important part in moral leadership in today's world and he would leave it at that.
Prince Harry Fulfils Skydive Promise
The jump raised money for two veterans charities and fulfilled a promise Prince Harry made to a 102-year-old former paratrooper last year. The trip has been in the works since last November, when he first met Second World War vet Ed Marshall at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre in Toronto. Marshall told Prince Harry about a fundraising skydive he took part in to mark his 100th birthday in 2024 and shared photos from the occasion.
Prince Harry promised Marshall he would return to the Toronto area to accompany him on another jump, and on Friday he did exactly that. Marshall, who will turn 103 in a few months, could not make the dive himself amid concerns expressed by his doctor. His grandson took his place while he watched from the back of the plane.
The skydiving trip raised funds for Sunnybrook Veterans Centre and the True Patriot Love Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports veterans and their families. After the jump, Prince Harry said Ed had been really, really excited about this. He said he is not in the business of letting people down, and you cannot let a 102-year-old veteran down. Prince Harry said there was the medical evaluation Marshall had and he was devastated he could not jump.
He said it was great to have him in the back, that they did put a parachute on him, and that they thought he would probably jump by himself, adding he was glad he did not. The Duke of Sussex was seen kissing the ground shortly after landing, and was on the phone with his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, a short time later.
He told CTV News that while he did not have to convince her about the trip, she was very relieved once he was back on the ground. He said he had just been blaming Ed anyway. He said he told her he did not want to do it and wished he could get out of it, but Ed is very persuasive.
Family Reaction To Surprise Visit
Marshall's grandson, Bailey Fulen, said his family did not take Prince Harry's promise all that seriously at first and were surprised when his representatives reached out a few months back. Fulen said that for a couple months his grandfather would say he was going to do a jump with Prince Harry and it was going to be great.
He said the family would reply, Grandpa, of course, of course it is going to happen, and lo and behold the team reached out and they are just so happy that they did. He added that you would never assume that somebody with Prince Harry's schedule would do something like this. He said it was one thing to put yourself on the line and another to take the time and take interest.
It has been pretty surreal for the family, he said. The trip to Canada comes less than a month after news first surfaced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had decided to return to the United Kingdom after previously giving up their royal duties and moving to California. Prince Harry was asked about that move and what prompted it on Friday.
Duke Responds To Return News
He responded that he had lots of reasons but did not elaborate, noting that he did not want to distract from his efforts to raise money for Canadian veterans charities. He said it has been great, and it has been great to be back on British soil. He said the kids are happy in school and it gives him a chance to really focus on the Invictus Games in Birmingham in July next year.
Sachedina also asked Prince Harry about his connection to Canada and what keeps him coming back to the country. Prince Harry said he loves Canada, noting his wife lived here for seven years and most people thought she was Canadian. He said Canada has a very special place in his heart.
CTVNews 
CTVToronto:‘I love every single thing about Canada’: Prince Harry gives exclusive interview to CTV News 
CP24:‘I love every single thing about Canada’: Prince Harry gives exclusive interview to CTV NewsThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
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