King Charles honored LGBT armed forces at the UK’s first national memorial dedicated to them, titled “An Opened Letter”, at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. The memorial recognizes those whose military careers were ended prematurely due to a ‘gay ban’ in effect from 1967 to 2000. This marked his first official engagement supporting the LGBT community. The king met with veterans who shared their experiences of trauma inflicted by the ban, and was joined by dozens of current and former service members.