Forces Veterans Invited To Prince Harry And Meghan Markle's Wedding

Veteran Grant White (left) described receiving the invite as a "very pleasant surprise". Image: Race2Recovery/Facebook.

Former service veterans are among those invited to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle next month.

Grant White, 52, spent 23 years as a Royal Marines commando, leaving in 2008 as a warrant officer after being medically discharged, and is now head of operations for the Race2Recovery charity.

The charity, which runs an off-road team that has competed in the Dakar Rally, provides opportunities in motorsport for people who have suffered life-changing injuries.

Mr White, who lost his right leg below the knee in a hit-and-run, said:

"It was a very pleasant surprise and it caught me slightly off-guard, I must admit.

"It is a fantastic opportunity and a great occasion."

He has not met Prince Harry personally but has met other royals during his long military career.

Mr White, who lives in Dorset but is originally from Leicester, started out as a beneficiary of Race2Recovery because of a keen interest in motorsport before working for the charity.

"The priority will always be wounded, injured and sick service personnel," he said.

"The big area we are hitting on now is mental health and we are getting a lot of PTSD.

"I am now trying to push people's mental boundaries."

The royal wedding takes place on 19 May, and Mr White says he sees the invite as him representing the charity, rather than "going along to a jolly for the day".

He added:

"I can't wait, and my wife is very excited."

The former Royal Marine is joined on the guest list by ex-Royal Irish Regiment soldier Phillip Gillespie said it is "a wee bit surreal" to think he will be there next month with his girlfriend Kirsty Crawford.

"It's a massive privilege, it will be a huge spectacle," he added.

The 30-year-old, who lost his right leg in Afghanistan in 2011, is also eagerly awaiting news as to whether he has made the rowing and archery teams for the next Invictus Games - a brainchild of Harry.

Mr Gillespie, who is involved with ABF The Soldiers' Charity, said he was looking forward to a busy few months with the Invictus trial results, the wedding and then a royal garden party following his BEM award last year.

He said he had not told many people yet but expected his friends' reaction to be muted, compared to the feedback his girlfriend was getting.

"I think Kirsty has got more of a reaction, I think it (a wedding) is more of a girl thing," he laughed.