On Thursday morning, during a service at St Paul’s Cathedral, Prince Harry wore his army medals in salute to the ceremony which marked the 75 year anniversary of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units within the British Army.
The ceremony focused on the role of the EOD units during the Second World War, and the conflicts of Northern Ireland and Afghanistan, offering both serving and retired members of the EOD community the chance to share their accounts of the conflicts.
Prince Harry, who ended his military career after a decade of service, was a guest at the ceremony. Harry also met member of the bomb disposal community who have suffered life-changing injuries, as well as the families of bomb disposal experts who were killed in action.
Officially formed in 1940, the original Royal Engineers bomb disposal unit with indispensable through the Second World War, dealing with thousands of unexploded bombs both across the UK and overseas. The unit has since expanded to function across the British Armed Forces, and have been involved in conflicts in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
At the end of Harry’s military service, Harry said that work in the service of military personnel through the Commonwealth will be a permanent feature of his royal and charitable duties for the rest of his life. His appearance at the ceremony comes just two days after me made a surprise appearance on a trek with Walking with the Wounded charity as they embarked on the 60th day of their 1,000 mile hike in Norfolk. It was the second time Harry had joined the group, previously walking with six wounded service personnel who undertook the challenge in Shrewsbury in September.
Purchase tickets to see Juliet Rieden, The Weekly’s Deputy Editor and Royal Correspondent, in conversation with the Nine Network’s Leila McKinnon to celebrate the launch of Juliet’s latest book, The Royals in Australia.
