Prince Harry wears his military medals and a poppy with quip about ‘representing gingers’ in monologue filmed from his Montecito home for Stand Up for Heroes – after he and Meghan Markle jetted to Katy Perry gig on oil heir’s private plane

Prince Harry joked he has never been scrutinized and followed the advice of a reiki healer today as he appeared in a video for a comedy comedy charity event.

The Duke of Sussex wore his military medals and a poppy on a suit jacket during a monologue for the video filmed at his £12 million home in Montecito, California.

Harry, 39, made fun of himself during the Stand Up for Heroes clip and also joked that people with red hair like him were an “endangered species”.

The 17th edition of the annual event that raises funds to support members of the armed forces was held yesterday at Lincoln Center in New York.

Harry’s appearance at the show was done virtually, although he took a private jet with his wife Meghan Markle to a Katy Perry concert in Las Vegas on Saturday.

The Stand Up For Heroes audience in New York last night watched Prince Harry’s speech

Bruce Sprinsteen and John Mellencamp performed on stage at Stand Up For Heroes last night

Comedian Tracy Morgan performs on stage at the Stand Up For Heroes event last night

At the start of his monologue, first reported by Good morning! review, Harry said: “Hello New York. Obviously, I was deeply honored when Bob asked me to make my debut with you all tonight.

This was a reference to journalist Bob Woodruff and the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which organized the event with the New York Comedy Festival.

The Duke also said: “Due to the incredibly low representation of redheads last year and out of respect for my fellow endangered species, I am reporting here for work.”

And he joked: “As someone who’s never scrutinized, I didn’t even have to prepare much.”

“But to be on the safe side, I’ve been working on this particular act for a while and everyone I know tells me it’s perfect.

“And no, it’s not people who just tell me what I want to hear, it’s people like my CFO, 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 calm and 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 parade ground and on the battlefield. Values ​​of service, values ​​of honor and integrity and values ​​of conviviality and solidarity.

“I know our journeys thus far differ, but we are still connected by what we learned as human beings, what we faced as a family, and how we came out stronger because of it. to our ability to listen, understand and support each other.”

It’s unclear whether Harry’s virtual appearance was planned in advance or a change in schedule, and MailOnline has contacted the Sussexes’ representatives for clarification on this point.

Celebrities at the event included Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp who performed on stage together, 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 taking a private jet to the Katy Perry concert.

The Duke and Duchess, who have been outspoken on environmental issues in the past, hitchhiked with other celebrities on a plane owned by Texas oil heir Michael Herd, from Santa Barbara to Las Vegas.

Jimmy Carr performs on stage at the Stand Up For Heroes event in New York last night

Tom Hanks and the Color Guard at Stand Up For Heroes last night

They joined Cameron Diaz and her husband Benji Madden as well as actress Zoe Saldana aboard the Gulfstream jet on a 40-minute private flight to attend the finale show of Perry’s Vegas residency.

Hours later, the Duke’s brother, Prince William, took a commercial British Airways flight to Singapore for the Earthshot Awards, which celebrate winners for their contributions to environmentalism.

Harry and Meghan’s decision sparked accusations of hypocrisy, with the Duke having already set up his charity Travalyst to promote sustainable and eco-friendly tourism.

A royal expert suggested Harry, who is still a patron of the charity, should “get the sack” for deciding to fly privately.

Angela Levin said The sun: ‘They think they’ve gotten so big that they wouldn’t think of taking a normal flight.

“They have all these rich friends to pay for it. This is worse than “do as I say, not as I do” because he is a patron of a charity.

“William was extremely well received in Singapore, which must have annoyed Harry and Meghan. This kind of behavior is exactly why we call them eco-hypocrites.

Separately today, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said the couple had had “no contact” from Buckingham Palace about an invitation to King Charles III’s 75th birthday party next week .

Charles is set to 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 declined 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 Her Majesty’s upcoming birthday. It is disappointing that the Sunday Times has misreported this story,” they said.

The same spokesperson also denied that Meghan, who found fame on Suits, was making a return to acting following reports earlier this week.