Canada

Prince Charles gives ‘substantial’ donation to Cirillo and Vincent families

The royal joins thousands of Canadians in helping the families of the fallen

The Prince Of Wales And Duchess Of Cornwall Visit Australia - Day 4

Today it was revealed that Prince Charles had made a “substantial” donation to the families of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent. Cirillo was gunned down while guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last week, while Vincent was killed two days before by a hit-and-run driver while on duty in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. Both assailants, who were later killed by authorities, were radicalized converts to Islam in what the government says were acts of terrorism.

Prince Charles, who made his private donation after attending a concert in London by the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa, did so through the True Patriot Love (TPL) charity, which supports military personnel, veterans and their families by funding programs and research in areas of mental health, rehabilitation, family support and transition.

Charles isn’t alone in wanting to help the families of the two men. In less than a week, a fund organized by former political aides and lobbyists, the Stand on Guard Fund, has raised more than $650,000, which will be split evenly between the Cirillo and Vincent families. (TPL is managing donations made through the Stand on Guard Fund website.)

Prince Charles’s donation wasn’t a surprise. Like other members of the royal family, he regularly gives to people in need, including British flood victims and the families of Welsh miners who died in a pit accident in 2011. Often the news of a donation helps spur others to make similar contributions. And the recipient, TPL, isn’t new to Charles. The works with Prince’s Charities Canada (PCC), which focuses here in Canada on the charitable works of the Prince of Wales’s core interests, including helping disadvantaged youth, environmental sustainability and architecture. True Patriot Love is a sponsor of the Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur, which aids Canadian Forces members interested in starting their own businesses after leaving military service. The relationship goes both ways: in 2012 Charles even sent a video greeting to the True Patriot Love’s gala.

 

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