Prince Harry made a dramatic leap from a plane in Canada before making a private phone call to his wife, Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Sussex was filmed parachuting north of Toronto as part of an event supporting two veteran charities and fulfilling a promise he made to 102-year-old former paratrooper Ed Marshall last year.
Harry later revealed that his first call after landing was to Meghan, who was in England at the time.
Prince Harry took to new heights on Friday (Image: CTV News, Skydive Toronto)
Harry keeps his promise to a 102-year-old veteran
The skydive followed a meeting between Harry and Ed Marshall at the veterans centre at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto last November.
Marshall, a former paratrooper, had hoped to take part in the jump himself. However, medical professionals ruled that the 102-year-old could not safely make the descent.
His grandson, Mailey, stepped in instead and joined Harry for the skydive.
Marshall was still present to support them, cheering them on from the aircraft.
Prince Harry called Meghan Markle (Image: CTV News)
After completing the jump, Harry said he could not have let the veteran down after the promise he had made.
“Ed’s been really excited about this. There’s no version where you can let a 102-year-old veteran down,” Harry said.
He explained that Marshall had been disappointed when doctors told him he could not jump, but was pleased to have him aboard the aircraft.
“They did put a parachute on him,” Harry added. “We did think that he was probably going to jump by himself — glad he didn’t, and he’s still here!”
Harry also joked that Marshall would soon celebrate his 103rd birthday.
Meghan was waiting for news after the jump
Following the skydive, Harry was seen speaking on the phone to Meghan.
According to CTV News, the Duchess of Sussex was the first person Harry called after landing.
The interviewer pointed out that Harry had immediately contacted his wife and asked whether he had needed to persuade her to support the skydive.
The Duke of Sussex skydiving (Image: CTV News)
Harry said Meghan did not need convincing, but admitted she was relieved once he was safely back on the ground.
“I didn’t have to convince her, but she was relieved once we were down,” he said.
The Duke explained that the long wait to reach the altitude for the jump appeared to have made Meghan anxious.
“It took quite a while to get up, so I think she was like, ‘Are they down yet? Are they down yet?’” Harry said.
A trip focused on veterans and charity
Harry’s latest appearance in Canada came after a series of engagements in New York during the same week, where he attended events and supported causes important to him.
The skydive combined fundraising for two veteran charities with Harry’s commitment to Marshall, who had inspired the unusual challenge during their meeting the previous year.
For Marshall, being able to accompany Harry on the flight meant he could still play a part in the experience despite being unable to make the jump himself.
For Harry, the flight provided a chance to honour the promise he had made to the veteran while drawing attention to causes supporting former members of the armed forces.