Prince Harry, Prince Charles, and Prince William are all dressed to the nines in formal military uniforms in a new photo released by Kensington Palace, People is reporting. The image of the three men will be featured as part of a series of postage stamps commemorating the Prince of Wales’ 70th birthday.
The future King of England will turn 70 on Wednesday, and to mark the event, the United Kingdom’s version of the Post Office, the Royal Mail, is issuing a set of six stamps showing the Prince of Wales “at work and play,” and collectors can get a packet featuring all six for as little as £7.40 ($9.60), according to the Royal Mail website .
One stamp shows the Prince hugging his wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles, while another shows him by himself, giving a stately smile. Another shows the Prince and his two sons enjoying a day at the polo grounds, while two others show the Prince at royal engagements.
But it’s the one that shows the three men bedecked in military attire that has everyone talking.
Prince Charles at 70: Royal Mail releases birthday stamps https://t.co/jQJjQV8z2V
— Rani GilL (@ranigill7) November 10, 2018
“There’s something about a man in uniform,” as the old saying goes, and it’s apparently true even if one of the men is old enough to be your grandfather, one has gone almost completely bald well before his 40th birthday, and one is a mousy ginger.
It’s not uncommon for men of royalty to appear in military-looking uniforms, complete with various sashes, cords, and medals, even though they never served in the military. Look up any male European monarch from the past 150 years or so, and you’ll see a lot of them in military attire, even though they didn’t necessarily serve.
But in this case, all three men did actually serve in the military.
Prince Charles, for his part, served in both the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy for a period of time in the early 1970’s, although he likely didn’t see any action.
Prince William followed in his father’s footsteps and served in both the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, and indeed, William’s unit was at one time likely to be deployed to an active war zone. However, considering his position in line to the throne, he was hustled out of harm’s way.
Prince Harry, on the other hand, actually saw combat in Afghanistan as a helicopter pilot, and indeed, was quickly hustled away from his unit once “specific threats” from the Taliban, who threatened to kidnap or kill him.
Harry has since gone on to create the Invictus Games, an Olympics-style sporting competition for wounded veterans.
