King Charles III Dedicates LGBT Armed Forces Memorial

King Charles III laid a wreath and dedicated the UK’s first national memorial to LGBT+ armed forces personnel at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. The government-funded bronze sculpture, An Opened Letter, is a crumpled letter formed from words taken from personal messages once used as evidence to incriminate service members. The dedication recognised harms caused by the armed forces’ ban on LGBT service, in effect until 2000, when thousands were investigated, dismissed, jailed or forced out—estimates of those affected have run as high as 20,000—and highlighted losses of pensions, medals, careers and long-term mental-health impacts. The memorial was led by the charity Fighting With Pride and was one of the recommendations of the 2023 Etherton Review, which urged compensation and the restoration of ranks and medals. Veterans, including Claire Ashton, attended the emotional ceremony, which organisers described as a step toward recognition, reconciliation and further redress.