Britains Prince Harry served two tours in Afghanistan during his ten years in Her Majestys Armed Forces, rising to the rank of captain. Since leaving military service in 2015, much of his charitable work on behalf of the Royal Family has been related to his time as a soldier, especially the Invictus Games, the international athletic event for wounded and sick service members he founded in 2014.
On Monday, as the Taliban continued to regain control of the region following U.S. troop withdrawal, the Duke of Sussex issued a joint statement with Invictus CEO, Dominic Reid.
The British Army veteran asked the military community to reach out and support one another during this time.
Whats happening in Afghanistan resonates across the international Invictus community, he said. Many of the participating nations and competitors in the Invictus Games family are bound by a shared experience of serving in Afghanistan over the past two decades, and for several years, we have competed alongside Invictus Games Team Afghanistan.
Harry concluded, We encourage everybody across the Invictus network and the wider military community to reach out to each other and offer support for one another.
The Prince also issued a statement concerning Afghanistan with his wife, Meghan Markle, on behalf of their non-profit charitable foundation, Archewell.
The world is exceptionally fragile right now, the couple began. As we all feel the many layers of pain due to the situation in Afghanistan, we are left speechless.
They went on to address those in positions of global influence, asking them to rapidly advance the humanitarian dialogues that are expected to take place this fall at multilateral gatherings such as the U.N. General Assembly and the G20 Leaders Summit.
The couple continued:
Like many of you, we are closely watching the crises happening across the world right now, and we are heartbroken. Archewell is committed to putting our values into action, and we hope to do what we can to meet the moment by offering support to the military community and the troops who served in Afghanistan, as well as to the Afghan people facing violence and terror
We recognize that many of you may feel helpless right now as you watch the state of the world spin rapidly. It can feel disorienting and defeating, but we have faith in the power of shared purpose, action, and commitment to our collective well-being.
Among the organizations the Sussexes are asking the global community to support is Women for Afghan Women, a group that provides shelter and aid to displaced Afghani women and children
They also asked their followers to donate resources to Afghan Aid, an organization that provides urgent, life-saving assistance to men, women, and children who have been affected by the conflict in Afghanistan.
