Statement follows reports of Prince Harry’s secret letter at VJ Day service
Buckingham Palace has released a formal update on King Charles just hours after it emerged that Harry quietly honoured his late grandfather with a personal letter at the VJ Day remembrance service.
On Wednesday, August 18, the Royal Family’s official Instagram page announced that the 76-year-old monarch had begun his annual retreat to Balmoral Castle.
“The King has arrived at Balmoral Castle where he was welcomed by a Guard of Honour held by Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland,” the post read, alongside photos of Charles in a kilt, smiling as he greeted officials and well-wishers. He was also met by the regiment’s mascot, a Shetland pony named Corporal Cruachan IV.
The statement highlighted the tradition of monarchs spending summers at the Scottish estate, a custom dating back to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the mid-1800s.
The palace update followed reports by GB News that Harry had arranged for a close friend to lay a wreath and letter at the Burma Star Memorial in Staffordshire, once the King and Queen had departed the service.
In the note, the Duke of Sussex, 40, paid tribute to Prince Philip’s wartime service in the Pacific campaign. “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,” he wrote.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams described Harry’s quiet tribute as a “touching gesture” that was “appropriately handled.”
