Prince Harry pays his respects to British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the bitter battle for Monte Cassino 

  • Young royal on tour of Italy paying tribute to casualties of World War II
  • Viewed British war graves at the Cassino Commonwealth War Cemetery
  • Marked 70th anniversary of bloody battle against Nazi forces
  • Wore uniform of the Household Cavalry for open air ceremony

Published: 06:51 EST, 19 May 2014 | Updated: 11:01 EST, 19 May 2014

After two days on royal duty, Prince Harry became a normal tourist to take in one of Rome's most historic sights.

Sightseers were stunned to see the fourth in line to the throne wandering around the Colosseum dressed casually in a pale blue checked shirt and jeans.

The royal, 29, arrived for a tour of the amphitheatre, where gladiators once fought to the death, paying for his own ticket and that of his staff.

Harry, famous for his love revelry, asked guide Barbara Nazaro if the spectacular monument 'was also open at night?'

The ancient stadium remained open to visitors throughout the prince's visit and was packed with tourists. The prince started his guided tour at the same time as a group of around 20 Canadians and Americans.

They watched amazed as Harry stood a few yards from them, listening to the guide tell the gruesome history of the 2000 year old amphitheatre where Rome's rulers watched animal hunts, reenactments of sea battles alongside crowds of more than 50,000.

Wanda Quenneville, 45, from Toronto in Canada, said: 'I was in shock. That was really exciting. It was the highlight of our visit. He is so handsome. He is actually much more handsome in person.'

Mrs Quenneville, who was on holiday with her husband Phil, 47, and daughter Alysha, 21, and son Andrew, 23, added: 'I am all jittery now.'

Alysha, a student, said: 'It was crazy. It was unbelievable. Better than the Colosseum.'

Hundreds of tourists looking down from the higher galleries, trained their cameras on the royal visitor, cheered and shouted his name.

The day before the prince had been mobbed by gangs of teenage girls waving Union flags as he visited a contemporary art gallery in the capital.

Aides said the visit, described as a semi-official part of the Prince's visit to Italy, came out at the Prince's request.

'He wanted to do some tourism,' said one. 'He wanted to come and see some of the sights.'

The relaxing evening came after the prince had spent a solemn day paying a moving tribute to the veterans of a "forgotten campaign" of the Second World War.

Harry praised the courage of the men who fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino as he visited the scene of the fighting on the second day of his tour of Italy.

The serving Army officer was guided a tour of the site and paid his respects to the fallen as part of commemoration events marking its 70th anniversary.

Allied soldiers had stormed Nazi positions near Rome again and again across steep open ground in terrible weather conditions, knowing they or their friends would very likely be killed.

The Prince said their efforts deserved every recognition despite the battle, which claimed the lives of more than 50,000 Allied soldiers before they captured the strategically important Monte Cassino hilltop, being known as the "forgotten campaign".

Harry said: 'This has always been referred to as the forgotten campaign - to me it makes no sense at all. Those guys in there are as important as everybody else. They're still soldiers, a lot of them now don't really want to talk about it - a lot of them are more than willing to talk about it.'

The 29-year-old spoke to a number of veterans and said he was touched by their stories - some of which had an element of humour despite the horrific circumstances.

Harry said: 'Listening to some of the stories and banter amongst them, German soldiers and British veterans here together having a laugh, I think it's amazing.'

The young royal said he kept envisioning the area as it once was during his tour.

'The one thing that I keep getting reminded about is it's fine for everyone to be here and to see the ground the way that it's laid out, but actually from a military point of view... you see all this vegetation trees, walls, buildings everything - none of that was around then,' she explained.

'So these guys were being asked, directed to walk through open ground knowing they were going to lose most of their friends and probably themselves as well - so this deserves as much recognition as everything else. This was a huge ask and to do it for four or five months - I mean up and down, up and down (Monte Cassino).

'So I take my hat off (to them). I'm so privileged to be here on this spot, on this ground, to share the last couple of days not only with the Brits but the New Zealanders and the Polish as well, and everybody else who has taken part.'

Harry spoke about the veterans after spending more than an hour chatting to them at a reception in a nearby hotel following the open-air service at a Cassino war cemetery where hundreds of servicemen were laid to rest.

The Battle of Monte Cassino was a crucial campaign that saw Allied forces launch four major attacks in 1944 to destroy Nazi forces holding a strategically important rocky outcrop, home to the 1,400 year-old Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino. After fighting their way north the Allies' progress to Rome was frustrated by the enemy forces at the elevated location.

The fighting force consisted of many nations from Americans and British, to Indians, Poles, Canadians, French from North Africa, Indians, Gurkhas and New Zealanders but all had to contend with icy mountain terrain, mines and constant bombardments from the Nazi forces. Progress was slow and the conflict claimed many lives, becoming the bloodiest battle in Europe.

Controversially the monastery was heavily bombed and destroyed in a bid to make a breakthrough but the move failed and the holy site was later rebuilt.

Prince Harry was in full uniform for his visit to the Cassino Commonwealth War Cemetery today
The visit fell on the second day of his tour of Italy

Prince Harry was in full uniform for his visit to the Cassino Commonwealth War Cemetery today

Paying his respects: The serving Army officer laid a wreath
He seemed deep in thought as he passed the graves

Paying his respects: The serving Army officer laid a wreath

The prince lay a wreath on a memorial with a handwritten note

The prince lay a wreath on a memorial with a handwritten note

The prince's signed message reads: In memory of all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Thank you

The prince's signed message reads: In memory of all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Thank you

Crowds gathered to capture a glimpse of the prince

Crowds gathered to capture a glimpse of the prince

During his visit, the prince laid a wreath of poppies in memory of the British and Commonwealth forces who fought and died in one of the bloodiest battles of the Second World War. In a handwritten note on the wreath he had written: 'In memory of all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Thank you. Harry'

Tens of thousands of men fought and died to take the strategically important monastery of Monte Cassino, which towers above the cemetery in southern Italy.

Prince Harry meets Second World War veterans at a commemoration at the Cassino Commonwealth War Cemetery marking 70 years since the battle

Prince Harry meets Second World War veterans at a commemoration at the Cassino Commonwealth War Cemetery marking 70 years since the battle

In remembrance: Thousands of soldiers died in the battle to take the strategically important monastery of Monte Cassino

In remembrance: Thousands of soldiers died in the battle to take the strategically important monastery of Monte Cassino

Harry also attended a reception in the monastery for injured Italian servicemen and women who will be taking part in his Invictus Games

Harry also attended a reception in the monastery for injured Italian servicemen and women who will be taking part in his Invictus Games

The strategically important monastery of Monte Cassino, which towers above the cemetery in southern Italy, was the site of a bloody battle against the Nazis

The strategically important monastery of Monte Cassino, which towers above the cemetery in southern Italy, was the site of a bloody battle against the Nazis

The Venerable Jonathan Boardman, Archdeacon for Italy and Malta, welcomed the congregation and told them: 'Today is rather a nice day but there is still snow on the top of the mountain.

'It still reminds us that this country, which most people think of as a place of sun and warmth and friendship, also saw the worst in human beings, the worst bitterness in human conflict - much death and much suffering as well as rainy weather.'

Around the congregation were the white headstones of thousands of Commonwealth soldiers who had died fighting to take Monte Cassino.

During the open-air service hymns were sung, and a minute's silence was observed after a bugler had sounded the Last Post.

Prince Harry, 29, arrived in Rome over the weekend to a rapturous reception. Scores of men, woman and children lined the streets waving Union flags keen for a glimpse of the young royal.

Harry visited the famous Monte Cassino and was given a guided tour by Father Antonio Potenza, the Abbott's secretary.

Fallen soldiers: The number of graves reveals the scale of the loss during the battle

Fallen soldiers: The number of graves reveals the scale of the loss during the battle

The prince paused to read some of the inscriptions

The prince paused to read some of the inscriptions

Solemn: Harry takes in the graves of the fallen

Solemn: Harry takes in the graves of the fallen

As he walked into an exhibition chronicling the destruction of the holy site he saw a huge black and white image of its ruins and said: 'Unbelievable - they knocked the whole thing down.'

The 6th century monastery was rebuilt after the war and was restored to the original plans. Today, Monte Cassino is a working place of worship and continues to house the surviving relics of Saint Benedict.

During the tour Harry paused to view a manicured rose garden - before crowds burst into a spontaneous rendition of the British national anthem. Later he was taken to a balcony to view the spectacular surrounding countryside.

The royal was given a guided tour of the historic site

The royal was given a guided tour of the historic site

During the tour Harry paused to view a manicured rose garden - before crowds burst into a spontaneous rendition of the British national anthem

During the tour Harry paused to view a manicured rose garden - before crowds burst into a spontaneous rendition of the British national anthem

Harry also attended a reception in the monastery for injured Italian servicemen and women who will be taking part in his Invictus Games, a paralympic-style competition for wounded military which will be staged in September.

One of the service women he met was Colonel Monica Contratta in the Fusiliers, who told Harry how she lost her leg in Gulistan, Afghanistan, in 2012 under mortar fire when insurgents attacked the base.

She was saved by a colleague who dragged her to a bunker but was hit in the intestine, hand and femur artery.

The servicewoman has a prosthetic leg and her hand was rebuilt using a bone from her thigh.

She learnt to walk again after seven months and now runs 100 metres with a blade prosthetic.

She told Harry: 'I am a bionic woman.'

When he asked: 'How fast do you run the hundred metres,' she replied: 'I can't tell you.'

He said: 'It's a secret? Then we've got real competition.'

Later she said: 'He's very handsome. Can I swap my boyfriend for him?'

 

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When her majesty dies, Harry should be made king

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Harry's just a natural soldier and always has been. If he'd been born into a working class family in....I don't know......Yorkshire, he'd still have been in the army.

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I was talking to the young boy who lives up the road from me about the events of the second world war the other day, He didn't know about Italy's involvement in the war, sort of under the impression it was us and the US against Germany and Japan. What are they teaching these kids now. Anyway, dug out a few books and DVDs to learn the lad something.

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A very, very respectful young man. A few could learn from him I feel.

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Good lad. He is a credit to the UK and his family.

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in many ways he would be a better King that his brother, Harry has a spark than very few have these days, whilst stay knowing when to be respectful.

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william will be a great king he and harry are different but then most families are we all have our own way of doing things

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Gotta love Harry !

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I met him at a private event and he is wonderful. His mother would have been very proud of him - fun and respectful.

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His 'father' too would be very proud of him - fun and respectful.

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Who cares

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You do enough to comment....

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My Father was there. He was South African, many, many South Africans died there. Please don't forget them as its so common that they get left off the list of those who fought. Thank you Harry for remembering the fallen.

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The UK is very fortunate to have such a show of respect for those who served in WWII. We have a "president" who shows no respect for those who fought and died in Europe. Harry may have a little bit of a wild side, but it is very obvious that he holds deep respect for all service men and women, both those in the present and past.

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Enough, Tampa: This President (& his wife) of yours have done more for veterans than any president in recent times. Check out with the VA how much he has done for them. Your prejudice is obvious from you foolish comment.

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It is YOU who is disrespectful of your own country's President (no need for the quotations). How exactly has the President been disrespectful? No need to answer. I know you're just grasping at straws to show your contempt, no matter whether the situation is related to the matter or not.

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