King Charles III has seemingly put his younger brother Prince Andrew's ongoing trouble aside to attend the official dedication of the UK’s inaugural national memorial honouring LGBT armed forces personnel.
Charles, 76, the commander-in-chief of the British armed forces, will lay flowers at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on Monday, marking his first official engagement in support of the community.
The government-funded "Open Letter" memorial is designed to honour those currently serving and commemorate veterans affected by the British military's ban on the officers representing the community.
Princes William and Harry's father will hear speeches from serving personnel and an address from Ed Hall, chairman of Fighting With Pride, which oversaw the construction and design, and spearheaded efforts to get justice for veterans.
After the ceremony in Alrewas, the King will also meet veterans including those impacted by the decision, and also serving personnel.
The ban was lifted in 2000, 33 years after it was partially decriminalised in England and Wales. A bronze sculpture, it resembles a crumpled free-standing letter containing words from personal messages that were used as evidence to incriminate individuals.
Claire Phillips, a brigadier belongs to the community , said the memorial's design resonated deeply with her and is "such an amazing way of representing people who are so incredibly damaged by the ban."
"This design uses the words of our veterans and service personnel to describe how it felt to be subject to the ban... to begin that process of reconciliation," she told Sky News. "I'm just deeply, deeply honoured to be here today."
The unveiling of the memorial follows recommendations from an independent investigation commissioned by the British government, which reported systemic abuse, including sexual assault and dismissal of LGBT service members.
The government has offered financial redress of up to 70,000 pounds ($93,947) to those impacted.
Fighting With Pride,the military charity, described the sculpture as a "powerful step forward in recognising and honouring the service and sacrifices" of the armed forces community.
The memorial takes the form of a crumpled bronze letter, inscribed with words from testimonies of personnel impacted by the ban, which was enforced from 1967 until 11 January, 2000.
Under this policy, thousands of service members were investigated, discharged, or forced to end their careers due to their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
These individuals often endured lifelong consequences, including social vilification from family and friends, and the loss of their military pensions.