King Charles III to be Guest of Honour at opening of landmark LGBTQ+ Armed Forces Memorial
King Charles III will today serve as Guest of Honour at the unveiling of the UK’s first national memorial dedicated to LGBTQ+ military personnel, which has been named An Opened Letter.
The memorial, located at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, has been commissioned by the LGBTQ+ military charity Fighting With Pride (FWP). It commemorates those who served in the Armed Forces and suffered under discriminatory policies that banned open service by gay and transgender individuals until the year 2000.
The King, who is also Head of the Armed Forces, will lay flowers at the site and deliver a dedication to honour the service and sacrifices of LGBTQ+ personnel. The sculpture itself takes the form of a crumpled bronze letter, inscribed with words drawn from testimonies of those affected by the ban, which was in force from 1967 to 2000.
Thousands of service members were interrogated, discharged, or forced to abandon their military careers due to their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Many faced lifelong consequences, including loss of pensions and estrangement from family and community.
Writing on social media, Fighting With Pride said: “An historic day – and an incredible honour.
“We are proud to confirm that His Majesty The King will be the Guest of Honour at today’s dedication ceremony for the LGBT+ Armed Forces Community Memorial, ‘An Opened Letter’, at the National Memorial Arboretum.
“This marks the first time a senior member of the Royal Family has supported an LGBTQ+ event – a truly momentous occasion that ensures today will be even more historic than we ever imagined.
“The memorial, first proposed to Lord Etherton by our founders Craig Jones MBE and Caroline Paige MBE was designed by the Abraxas Academy and delivered on behalf of the community and FWP by Royal Navy veteran Roly Woods and dismissed RAF veteran Kevin Bazeley.
“It fulfils one of the Etherton Report’s key recommendations – recognising the service, sacrifice, and resilience of LGBTQ+ personnel across the Armed Forces.
“As Veterans, Royalty, Serving Personnel, Government representatives, and supporters gather today to dedicate ‘An Opened Letter’, we celebrate not only remembrance and recognition, but also real progress towards inclusion and understanding.”
