Culture

Game On! Prince William and Prince Harry Build Homes For Heroes

Prince William and Prince Harry visited Manchester, England, Sept.23, 2015, where they helped to renovate homes for ex-service personnel as part of the BBC television DIY SOS series.
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September 24, 2015, 4:16 PM

 -- Princes William and Harry put on their best construction gear, including hard hats and high-visibility vests, and took to the streets to build homes for veterans in need of housing in Manchester, England.

The brothers were all smiles as they got down and dirty for a good cause. Prince Harry helped lay a paved patio while his brother, the second-in-line to the British throne, painted a new home.

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The project, led by the BBC for its "DIY SOS" show, will transform a derelict street in Manchester within three weeks to assist British Armed Forces veterans. In all, eight buildings and 62 homes are being transformed from top to bottom

The project will also create a support center run by Prince Harry’s charity, Walking With the Wounded, and the Royal British Legion to provide assistance and retraining to those who were mentally and physically injured while serving their country.

After a briefing on their respective projects, Prince William, 33, looked at Harry, 31, and remarked to his younger brother, “Game on!”

Mark Millar, the project manager on one of the construction sites, told the U.K.’s The Daily Mail that Prince Harry was a “legend,” adding, “He can come and work on a site of mine anytime he likes."

“Prince Harry really got stuck in laying the slabs,” Millar said. “There were no airs or graces. He was really a great lad.”

The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry are both service members.

Prince Harry, known as Capt. Wales, served on the front lines in Afghanistan and as an Apache pilot until June of this year.

William was a rescue helicopter pilot in the British Royal Air Force until September 2013. He is now employed as an air ambulance pilot at East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Prince Harry, who is still sporting the beard from his trip protecting wildlife in Africa this summer, joked with the volunteers and his brother.

After inspecting the work that Prince William was doing, Prince Harry was heard asking, “Was that the wall he was working on? I can tell. Give me that roller and let me do it properly.”

The brothers, who are both active advocates for the Armed Forces and, especially, veterans in need, hope that by getting involved they will draw attention to the challenges service personnel face as they make the transition to civilian life, according to royal sources.