Prince William praises heroic royal marine in a touching letter following arson attack

The Duke sent a letter to Sean Ivey after he lost his home in March

Prince William
(Image credit: Richard Stonehouse/Getty Images)

Prince William has sent a letter to a former royal marine, praising him for his courage, after his house was subjected to an arson attack. 

Sean, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, was thought to have been attacked in his own home after he stood up to anti-social behavior in his neighborhood. 

He said at the time, to the BBC, "I just woke up in bed and felt the need to look out of the window. I shouted to my wife that the car was on fire, go and get the kids."

Now the Duke of Cambridge has praised his bravery—writing a personal letter to the Royal Marine. William wrote, “For a person to be put in such a position, simply due to having the moral courage to stand up for what is right, is reprehensible; I stand beside you.” 

After hearing his story many people donated to help Sean and his family got back on their feet—raising £300,000 in the process. William said he was 'heartened' to hear that people had rallied around them. 

Sean, who was amazed that the Prince had signed the letter himself, told the BBC, “It hasn't even got Prince William or His Royal Highness Prince William of Duke of Cambridge, it's just William. He recognises the problem and I'm honoured he's said that."

 “If our own royal family are recognising this problem in our society, other powers that be should take more swift action to eradicate it," Sean said, who is currently setting up a charity for young people in his area.

The Duke of Cambridge has also recently revealed that his eldest son, Prince George, reminds him of his brother, Prince Harry.

Speaking about his eldest son, who is third in line to the throne, Wills said, "He either reminds me of my brother or me when I was younger, I'm not sure, but he's doing very well at the moment."

He added that the young prince is, "a bit of a rascal, put it that way."

Sarah Finley

Sarah is a freelance journalist - writing about the royals and celebrities for Woman & Home, fitness and beauty for the Evening Standard and how the world of work has changed due to the pandemic for the BBC. 

 

She also covers a variety of other subjects and loves interviewing leaders and innovators in the beauty, travel and wellness worlds for numerous UK and overseas publications. 

 

As a journalist, she has written thousands of profile pieces - interviewing CEOs, real-life case studies and celebrities - interviewing everyone from Emma Bunton to the founder of Headspace.