DUTIFUL Prince William today honoured 999 workers in an online ceremony – as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle landed a £112m Netflix deal. The future king praised emergency services for their “hard work, determination and courage” amid the coronavirus crisis. In a humble speech, the 38-year-old thanked the community for their tireless efforts, adding: “They […]
DUTIFUL Prince William today honoured 999 workers in an online ceremony – as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle landed a £112m Netflix deal.
The future king praised emergency services for their “hard work, determination and courage” amid the coronavirus crisis.
Read our Meghan and Harry blog for the latest news on the Royal couple.
In a humble speech, the 38-year-old thanked the community for their tireless efforts, adding: “They showcase the very best that our country has to offer, and this is never more apparent than at times like these.”
The message comes just a day after it was revealed Harry and Meghan had signed a production deal with streaming giant Netflix, estimated by experts to be worth £112, after quitting the Firm and moving to the US.
From across the pond couple said they wanted their productions to inform and “give hope” to audiences with an animated series empowering women already believed to be in the works.
Meanwhile, in the UK William’s video message was played as part of the annual Emergency Services Festival of Thanksgiving, held to commemorate the thousands of emergency responders who have died in the line of duty.
This year, more than 300 NHS and other emergency workers have died after contracting Covid-19 on duty.
William, who was himself an air ambulance pilot, thanked the workers “on behalf of his family”, adding: “Your hard work, you determination and your courage are a tremendous source of pride for our country and we’ll be forever grateful for all that you do.”
The 999 Festival had been scheduled to be hosted in Belfast Cathedral, but was instead broadcast on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn at 2pm on Friday.
The brothers have widely been reported to have struggled with a rift before Harry, 35, moved to the US.
Tensions reportedly grew between the pair when William, 38, pulled his brother aside asking “are you sure about this?” around the time Meghan and Harry announced their engagement in 2017.
The brothers last week issued a rare joint statement to announce a statue of Princess Diana to be unveiled on what would have been her 60th birthday.
And Harry recently said he would have returned to the UK sooner to visit but had been unable due to coronavirus.
Speaking from his Santa Barbara mansion, he said: “I definitely plan on coming back. I would have been back already had it not been for Covid.”
He and Meghan have been keeping themselves busy in the US, recently visiting a charity drive.
Their new Netflix deal was also struck after reports they had been speaking with NBC and Apple.
Announcing the deal this week, the couple said: “Our lives, both independent of each other, and as a couple have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience, and the need for connection.
“Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope.
“As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us, as is powerful storytelling through a truthful and relatable lens.”
