Prince Harry Takes a Leap for a Promise, Then Calls Meghan Markle

Prince Harry jumps off a plane in Canada to fulfil a promise; makes a sweet call to Meghan Markle after the adventurous experience(Image Credit: Instagram)

The Duke of Sussex completed a charity skydive in Canada after promising a 102-year-old veteran he would take on the challenge. Prince Harry was thousands of feet above the ground in Canada on Friday, September 25.

After landing, Harry spoke about the experience and revealed that his first call was to his wife, Meghan Markle. The moment came after a jump that had been planned with Marshall, who ultimately could not take part himself.

How Prince Harry's conversation with a veteran led to the jump

Harry first met Marshall at the veterans centre at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto in November 2025. The 102-year-old had served during World War II and had trained as a paratrooper. During their meeting, Marshall told Harry about a charity skydive he had completed to celebrate his 100th birthday.

The story stayed with the Duke, and the two eventually conceived the idea of making another jump together. There was one major change to the original plan.

After a medical assessment, Marshall was unable to safely make the jump at his age. His grandson Bailey stepped in instead, joining Harry for the skydive while Marshall watched from the aircraft.Harry said he did not want to let the veteran down. “There's no version where you can let a 102-year-old veteran down,” he told CTV after completing the jump. Harry also joked about Marshall's determination, admitting that he had tried to escape the challenge. “I've just been blaming Ed anyways,” he said. “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's first call after landing was to Meghan Markle

The dramatic jump was over, but Harry's next move quickly brought the focus back to his family.

He called Meghan immediately after landing. When asked whether he had needed to persuade his wife to accept the idea of him skydiving as a father of two, Harry gave a playful response. “I didn't have to convince her, but she was relieved once we were down,” he said.He then joked that the long wait before the jump probably had Meghan wondering when he and the others would finally be safely back on the ground. “It took quite a while to get up, so I think she was like, ‘Are they down yet? Are they down yet?” Harry added.

The exchange gave the otherwise high-adrenaline day a lighter family moment, with Harry acknowledging that Meghan had clearly been keeping track of his whereabouts.

A special moment for Ed Marshall's family

For Bailey, taking part in the jump alongside Harry was about more than simply completing a daring challenge. He told Harry that his family was surprised that someone with such a demanding schedule would take the time to honour his grandfather and take an interest in his military service.Bailey described the experience as “surreal” for the family and said his grandfather had always viewed Harry as a normal person despite his royal background. The sentiment appeared to be mutual. Harry's decision to continue with the jump after Marshall was unable to participate allowed the original promise to become a family experience instead.

The jump was also about giving back

The skydive was organised as a fundraising effort supporting the military community in Canada.

The event benefited Sunnybrook and the True Patriot Love Foundation, both of which have connections to veterans and military families.Harry's involvement also fits with his long-standing work with veterans. His own military background has remained an important part of his public work, particularly through the Invictus Games. His connection with True Patriot Love also dates back several years, including its involvement in bringing the Invictus Games to Canada.Prince Harry shares an update on life with Meghan Markle and their childrenThe Canadian adventure also gave Harry an opportunity to speak about his family's life after returning to the U.K. Harry said being back in Britain has been a positive experience for him and Meghan, along with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.“It's been great to be back on British soil,” he said, later adding with a smile that it was also “great to be back on terra firma” after his skydiving adventure. He also shared a brief update on the children, saying they are “happy in school.” Harry added that being back in the U.K. is allowing him to concentrate on preparations for the Invictus Games in Birmingham, which are scheduled for July 2027.