Prince Harry today joked about never being scrutinized and seeking advice from a Reiki healer as he appeared in a video for a charity stand-up comedy event.
The Duke of Sussex wore his military medals and a poppy on a suit jacket during a monologue for the video which was filmed at his £12 million home in Montecito, California.
Harry, 39, poked fun at himself during the clip for the Stand Up for Heroes show and also joked about people with red hair like himself being an ‘endangered species’.
The 17th edition of the annual event that raises money to support members of the armed forces was hosted yesterday at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Harry’s appearance on the show took place virtually, despite flying with his wife Meghan Markle on a private jet to a Katy Perry concert in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Prince Harry appeared in a video message last night during Stand Up For Heroes in New York
The audience at Stand Up For Heroes in New York watched Prince Harry’s speech last night
Bruce Sprinsteen and John Mellencamp took the stage at Stand Up For Heroes last night
Comedian Tracy Morgan performed at the Stand Up For Heroes event last night
At the beginning of his monologue, first reported by Hello! magazine, Harry said, ‘Hello New York. Of course I was very honored when Bob asked me to debut my stand-up act with you tonight.’
This was a reference to journalist Bob Woodruff and the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which organized the event in conjunction with the New York Comedy Festival.
The Duke also said: ‘Due to the shockingly low representation of gingers last year, and out of respect for my fellow endangered species, I am reporting for duty here.’
And he joked: “As someone who is never scrutinized, I didn’t even have to prepare much.
‘But out of an abundance of caution, I’ve been working on this particular act for a while and everyone I know says it’s perfect.
“And no, these aren’t people who just tell me what I want to hear, these are people like my financial manager, my lawyer and of course my Reiki healer.”
But then he moved on to a more serious message.
He said, “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: service is what happens in the silence and the chaos.
“And whether we wear the uniform or not, we must continue to uphold the values we learned side by side on base, on the training ground and on the battlefield. Values of service, values of honor and integrity and values of togetherness and solidarity.
“I know our journeys so far have differed, but we are always connected by what we have learned as people, what we have experienced as a family and how we have emerged stronger because of our ability to listen, understand and support each other supports.’
It is not clear whether Harry’s virtual appearance was pre-planned or a change in schedule, and MailOnline has contacted representatives for the Sussexes for clarification on this point.
Among the celebrities who attended the event were Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp who performed together on stage, actor Tom Hanks and comedians Jimmy Carr and Tracy Morgan.
Harry’s virtual appearance was revealed after Harry and Meghan were branded ‘eco-hypocrites’ after flying to Katy Perry’s performance on a private jet.
The Duke and Duchess, who have been outspoken on environmental issues in the past, hitched a ride along with other celebrities on a plane belonging to Texas oil heir Michael Herd from Santa Barbara to Las Vegas.
Jimmy Carr takes the stage last night at the Stand Up For Heroes event in New York
Tom Hanks and members of the Color Guard Formation at Stand Up For Heroes last night
They joined Cameron Diaz and her husband Benji Madden, as well as actress Zoe Saldana on the Gulfstream jet on a 40-minute private flight to watch the final show of Perry’s Vegas residency.
Just hours later, the Duke’s brother, Prince William, flew to Singapore on a British Airways commercial flight for the Earthshot Prize awards, which reward winners for their contributions to environmental awareness.
Harry and Meghan’s move led to accusations of hypocrisy, with the Duke having previously set up his charity Travalyst to promote sustainable and environmentally friendly tourism.
One royal expert has suggested that Harry, who remains a patron of the charity, should be ‘sacked’ over the decision to fly private.
Angela Levin told it The sun: ‘They think they have become so great that they wouldn’t dream of making a normal flight.
‘They have all these rich friends who have to pay for it. It’s worse than ‘do as I say, not as I do’ because he is a patron of a charity.
‘William received a huge reception in Singapore, which must have irritated Harry and Meghan. This kind of behavior is exactly why we call them eco-hypocrites.”
A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan today said the couple had had “no contact” from Buckingham Palace about an invitation to King Charles III’s 75th birthday party next week.
Charles will celebrate the milestone with a party at Clarence House with his closest friends and family on Tuesday, November 14.
The Sunday Times reported that Prince Harry had turned down an invitation to the birthday party and would remain in California. But a spokesperson for the Sussexes told MailOnline the couple had no idea.
‘There has been no contact regarding an invitation to His Majesty’s upcoming birthday. It is disappointing that the Sunday Times misreported this story,” they said.
The same spokesperson also denied that Meghan, who found fame on Suits, will return to acting following reports earlier this week.