Coronavirus: Prince Harry praises Captain Tom Moore and says he is ‘incredibly proud’ of public response to pandemic

‘I think what he’s done is utterly amazing,’ duke says of 99-year-old veteran

The Duke of Sussex has praised Captain Tom Moore‘s “amazing” fundraising efforts, saying he is “incredibly proud” of the way in which the British public has responded to the coronavirus pandemic.

Prince Harry recently appeared on the Declassified podcast, a series that features conversations with members of the military community.

During his interview, the duke, who is currently living in the US after stepping down as a working member of the royal family, had high praise for 99-year-old Cpt Moore.

The Second World War veteran has raised more than £25m for NHS Charities Together by taking part in a “birthday walk” in his garden in the lead-up to his 100th birthday.

“Congratulations to Tom, I think what he’s done is utterly amazing,” Prince Harry said.

“It’s not just what he’s done, it’s the reaction that people have had as well, I think is again just wonderfully British.”

The 35-year-old continued, stating: “I’m just so incredibly proud to see what these individuals up and down the country and across the world are doing on a day-to-day basis.”

Harry added that the British public’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak was “proving” that things may be “better than we’re led to believe through certain corners of the media”.

“It can be very worrying when you’re sitting there and the only information you are getting is from certain news channels, but then if you are out and about or you are on the right platforms, you can really sense this human spirit coming to the forefront,” he said.

The aim of the podcast episode on which the duke appeared is to encourage veterans to come forward and volunteer with Team Rubicon UK, which is providing support to frontline emergency services and vulnerable individuals across the UK.

Harry said he wanted to offer a “huge thank you, as we all do, to all of the NHS workers and everybody that’s volunteering”.

“Because up and down the UK, whether it’s from Dorset up to Staffordshire, there are literally hundreds of thousands of people volunteering,” he said.

Referring to a news article about the number of people who have come forward to volunteer during the outbreak, the duke said it is “such a wonderfully British thing” for people to offer help when others are in need.

He added that he hopes the British public will continue supporting one another once the pandemic is over.

The duke said that it would be a “selfless act” for veterans to put themselves forward as volunteers.

“It’s about selflessness rather than selfishness and I think in today’s culture, in today’s world, we need more role models that are willing to put others ahead of themselves,” he stated.

Harry recalled what it was like to be “part of a unit” in the military, having previously served with the Blues and Royals and the Army Air Corps.

“It kind of makes you feel totally equal but at the same time makes you want to do everything you can for the person on your left and the person on your right,” he said.