Meghan Markle shares her 'heartbreak' over tragic death as Prince Harry gives an emotional speech

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
(Image credit: Getty)

Meghan Markle has shared her "heartbreak" over the tragic death of a dear friend as Prince Harry gave an emotional speech that almost brought crowds to tears.

Meghan Markle has opened up about her "heartbreak" in a moving letter following the tragic death of a close friend as her husband Prince Harry makes his first emotional speech after missing Prince Philip's memorial.

Meghan's close friend Oli Juste, a dog trainer and animal behaviourist, who was first to introduce her to her patronage Mayhew animal charity, passed away on January 15th and the Duchess has admitted his death has left her "heartbroken and reflective".

Her letter reads, "My beloved friend Oli tragically and very suddenly passed away.

“It has left me, and so many others, heartbroken and reflective—knowing that the legacy he leaves for our furry friends is beautifully simple: just love them. Especially those left behind or forgotten.

“We shared, amongst many things, a commitment to animal welfare, and a deep love of rescue dogs.”

Meghan went on to explain, “In fact, it was Oli and his fiancé Rob who helped care for my rescue dog, Guy, when I had just moved to the UK and he was recovering from a debilitating accident.

“They loved him as though he was their own,” her letter concluded.

A photo posted by on

The chief executive of the charity, Howard Bridges, has revealed Meghan "generously made a donation in memory of her much-loved friend Oli Juste" despite her patronage coming to an end earlier this year.

Meghan was previously replaced by the Duchess Camilla who took over her National Theatre patronage.

And her heartfelt tribute comes as Prince Harry made an emotional Zoom call speech addressing the Invictus Games competitors, marking his first public appearance since missing Prince Philip's memorial service last month.

After listening to his speech which was streamed as competitors gathered for a final training camp before the event takes place in the Netherlands later this month, vice-captain Kelly Leonard admitted, "I was nearly in tears when he gave us a team talk. It was really rousing. The message was about what Invictus is about, that resilience and that journey. It was really wonderful to see him."

Team UK captain Rachel Williamson added, "He just says the right stuff. The main thing he said was ‘yes you lost your uniform but now you get to wear this brand new uniform again’ and that hits all of us so deep. We know that he understands where we’re coming from and where we’ve been.”

You can watch Prince Harry's motivational but emotionally moving speech below...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epxzoGPRroE&t=1s

Ahead of the Invictus Games, will take place in The Hague from April 16 to 22, Prince Harry revealed his own heartbreak over the death of a member in Ukraine.

Selina Maycock
Senior Family Writer

Selina is a Senior Family Writer for GoodtoKnow and has more than 16 years years of experience. She specialises in royal family news, including the latest activities of Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet. She also covers the latest government, health and charity advice for families. Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism, and gained her NCTJ and NCE qualifications. During her career, she’s also written for Woman, Woman's Own, Woman&Home, and Woman's Weekly as well as Heat magazine, Bang Showbiz - and the Scunthorpe Telegraph. When she's not covering family news, you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories (including award-winning scarecrows!)