Prince Harry wasted no time in contacting his wife, Meghan Markle, after completing a daring skydive in Canada on Friday. The 42-year-old Duke of Sussex jumped from a plane outside Toronto to honor 102-year-old Second World War veteran Ed Marshall, fulfilling a promise he made to Marshall last year. As soon as Harry was safely back on solid ground, his thoughts immediately turned to the Duchess of Sussex.

A CTV interviewer noted, "We noticed you called your wife, the Duchess, immediately afterwards," and then asked if Harry had to persuade Meghan, as a father of two, to let him participate in the skydive. Harry revealed, "I didn't have to convince her, but she was relieved once we were down. It took quite a while to get up, so I think she was like, 'Are they down yet? Are they down yet?'" He then jokingly blamed Ed for convincing him to take on the challenge, saying, "I've just been blaming Ed anyways. I said, 'I can't, I don't want to do it, I wish I could get out of it,' but Ed is very persuasive!"

Harry first met Ed in November 2025 during a visit to Sunnybrook Hospital's veterans center in Toronto, where they bonded over their military backgrounds. Despite the potentially nerve-wracking nature of the challenge, the Duke explained why backing out was never an option. "Ed's been really excited about this. There's no version where you can let a 102-year-old veteran down," Harry stated after the jump.

Ed, a former paratrooper who trained during the Second World War, had hoped to jump alongside Harry but was unable to due to a medical evaluation. Instead, his grandson Bailey stepped in and completed the skydive with the Duke, while Ed joined them for the flight. Harry shared, "He was devastated that he couldn't jump, but it was great to have him in the back. They did put a parachute on him. We did think that he was probably going to jump by himself – glad he didn't and he's still here! And he's going to be 103 in a few months' time."

For Bailey, taking his grandfather's place and making the jump with Harry made the experience particularly poignant. Bailey told Harry, "You would never assume that somebody with your schedule would do something to put yourself on the line for one, and just to take the time to take interest in what he's done and his service – and your service – has been surreal for our family. But just as my grandfather said, I mean, he's just a normal guy. And that's really the feeling that we get." The event successfully raised funds for Sunnybrook and the True Patriot Love Foundation, which supports Canada's military community.

This revealing phone call follows Harry and Meghan's recent return to the UK with their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five. Harry spoke exclusively about how the family was settling into their new chapter at the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards. "The last two weeks have been… it's been eventful," he said. "But, you know, we're getting stuck into the work. Kids are in school. We're happy." Harry added, "And as I said, it's great to be back on British soil, and looking forward to Birmingham next year for the Invictus Games that's coming up." The Duke founded the Invictus Games in 2014 to support wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women through sport, making his latest adventure with Ed another particularly meaningful connection to the military community that remains an important part of his life.