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Prince William quietly wrote to the girlfriend of Capitol riot cop Brian Sicknick who died from a stroke a day after the insurrection last year, offering his condolences and praising him for ‘upholding democracy’.
Sicknick’s death has been the subject of ferocious political debate. Democrats blamed the rioters for his death and in the immediate aftermath of the riot, it was claimed he died as the result of being hit over the head with a fire extinguisher.
A medical examiner last year ruled that he died of natural causes brought on by two massive strokes, but they could not prove whether the strokes were the result of any injury he suffered in the riot. Sicknick’s family say they are convinced the strokes were caused by him being pepper-sprayed.
Prince William’s letter breaks from the royal tradition of abstaining from politics both at home and overseas, and is the first time he has waded into US issues. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who live in her native California, routinely comment on American politics and issues.
It reads: ‘Please forgive me if I am intruding but I wanted to write and let you know how sorry I am about the death of your partner, Brian.’
He said he had watched the ‘harrowing events that took place at the Capitol’ and wanted to pay tribute to Sicknick’s ‘patriotism and selflessness’.
‘By all accounts Brian performed valiantly while on duty and despite suffering injuries continued to do his utmost to protect those inside. I hope you can take some comfort from knowing that it is thanks to law enforcement officers like Brian that the situation did not escalate further and democracy was upheld,’ he said.
Sicknick’s partner Sandra Garza revealed Prince William’s letter on CNN on Friday for the first time during an appearance in which she also slammed President Trump – who she says did not offer her any form of sympathy.
‘Trump does not give two c**ps about law enforcement or Brian and yet Prince WIlliam took the time to honor me and Brian,’ she said during coverage of the ongoing January 6 Congressional hearing.
In the letter, Prince William wrote to Garza: ‘Please forgive me if I am intruding but I wanted to write and let you know how sorry I am about the death of your partner, Brian.’ Prince William said he had seen footage of the ‘harrowing events that took place at the Capitol’ and wanted to pay tribute to Sicknick’s ‘patriotism and selflessness’
Prince William wrote the letter to the grieving widow of Brian Sicknick who died on January 7 after suffering two strokes
Sandra Garza, the girlfriend of Brian Sicknick, revealed on CNN that the Duke of Cambridge had written to her following the officer’s death
Brian Sicknick with his partner Sandra Garza before he died following the Capitol Hill riots
Trump supporters wave banners and swarm the Capitol on January 6, 2021
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend Royal Ascot 2022 at Ascot Racecourse on Friday in Ascot, England
Two other officers took their own lives in the days after the riots, and more than 150 police officers were hurt — including one officer who had a heart attack and others who suffered traumatic brain injuries and permanent disabilities. Some may never return to the job.
On Thursday, Capitol Hill Police Officer Caroline Edwards recounted ‘slipping in blood’ and rioters calling her ‘Nancy Pelosi’s dog’ while she was defending the Capitol Building on January 6 during the House January 6 select committee’s first primetime hearing.
Edwards saw Sicknick fall and was herself knocked unconscious after a bike rack was thrown on her. She suffered a traumatic brain injury from the blow.
‘I was slipping in people’s blood,’ said Edwards, one of two in-person witnesses the committee called to testify before an audience on Capitol Hill.
‘I was catching people as they fell. It was carnage. It was chaos. I can’t even describe what I saw. Never in my wildest dreams that as a police officer would I find myself in the middle of a battle.’
She said that what she witnessed was out of a movie. ‘What I saw was just a war scene,’ the officer recounted.
US Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards (R) greets Sandra Garza, the longtime partner of late Capitol Hill Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick, after she testified during a House Select Committee hearing on June 9
Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards recounted the harrowing scene she encountered defending the U.S. Capitol Building from pro-Trump rioters on January 6 during the House January 6 select committee’s first primetime hearing Thursday
‘I felt the bike rack come on top of my head and I was pushed backwards and my foot caught the stair behind me and my chin hit the handrail and then – at that point I blacked out – but the back of my head clipped the concrete stairs behind me,’ she said.
Cheney asked the officer if she was knocked unconscious and she answered in the affirmative.
‘Yes ma’am,’ Edwards answered to Cheney’s second question – whether she returned to duty.
Edwards said she tried to hold the West Front of the Capitol and was overpowered there. Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department officers showed up to assist, allowing Edwards to fall behind the line.
‘For awhile I started decontaminating people who had gotten sprayed and treating people medically who needed it,’ she recalled. ‘So after awhile I got back on the line, it was on the House side of the lower west stairs … and officer Sicknick was behind me.’
‘All of the sudden I see movement to the left of me, and it was officer Sicknick with his head in his hands and he was ghostly pale,’ she said. ‘Which I figured at that point he had been sprayed, and I was concerned. My cop alarm bells went off.’
She said if Sicknick would have been hit with pepper spray he would have turned red, not pale.
Sicknick died the next day. His family members were in the audience Thursday night.
‘And so I looked back to see what had happened, what had hit him and that’s when I got sprayed in the eyes as well,’ she said. ‘I was taken to be decontaminated by another officer but we didn’t get a chance because I got tear-gassed.’
In February, Sicknick became only the fifth person in history to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, a designation for those who are not elected officials, judges or military leaders. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
DailyMail.com has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.
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