Prince Harry urges people to 'lean in' to support Invictus Games
- Published
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex is seen on stage during for the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023
Prince Harry has praised the location of the next Invictus Games, calling Dusseldorf "brilliant and filled with amazing people".
He visited the German city to mark one year until the competition for injured military veterans is held there.
Speaking at Merkur Spiel-Arena, he said he was taken with the city's "vibrant atmosphere".
He was joined by Meghan, who made her first UK address this week after quitting as a working royal.
Prince Harry said: "From what I've witnessed today already, I have a good sense of how we will bring the motto of these games - A Home For Respect - to life.
"It is my belief that showing respect and appreciation is just as important as experiencing respect and appreciation. That's the spirit we're bringing to Dusseldorf."
The next Invictus Games will take place next September and the Sussexes have been meeting officials and potential competitors a year on from their start.
Members of the public clapped and raised their phones to take pictures of the couple as they were welcomed with a red carpet arrival in the German city.
Prince Harry encouraged Invictus supporters to "lean in" and enjoy the games for injured veterans.
Speaking in Dusseldorf town hall, he said: "I can't wait to hear the roar of the crowds, to feel the adrenalin of the competition and join in on the laughter and even the tears, happy ones of course, while we get to witness lives being changed right before our eyes."
He added: "In our most vulnerable moments, encouragement is essential.
"So, I ask that we all do our part to provide space for these incredible servicemen and women to be honest, courageous and true to themselves."
With red carpets and walkabouts, when is a royal visit not a royal visit?
Prince Harry and Meghan's visit to Germany looked much like a royal trip from before they moved to the US.
Along with the UK engagements this week, it raises the bigger question of what kind of public role the couple will lead in future. Will they become a kind of parallel court, mixing celebrity with royalty?
Because there are big differences. While the Royal Family are very skilled at saying nothing, the Sussexes' media ventures will keep pushing them to say everything, about themselves, their opinions and their royal connections.
Like Meghan's magazine interview last week and her Spotify podcasts, that will mean controversy alongside the publicity.
But the public interest in Meghan and Harry remains intense. Everyone has a view. Expect even more attention this week before they return to California.
This year's games were held in the Netherlands in April, where a film crew for a Netflix documentary called Heart Of Invictus - a series from Harry and Meghan's Archewell Productions following people competing at the event - was seen close to the couple.
The duke founded the Invictus Games to aid the rehabilitation of injured and sick military personnel and veterans across the world.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are due to return to the UK later for the WellChild Awards in London, where the duke is also due to speak.
Those awards, taking place on Thursday, will celebrate seriously-ill children and young people, and those who have made a significant difference to their lives.
Members of the public clapped and raised their phones to take pictures of the couple
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spoke to military personnel and dignitaries during their arrival in Dusseldorf
Crowds gathered outside Dusseldorf City Hall
On Monday, the duchess told a young audience at the One Young World summit of her own struggle for self-belief.
Their latest visit to Europe comes amid the fallout from an interview with the duchess given to US magazine The Cut which saw Meghan say the couple "upset the dynamic of the hierarchy" of the Royal Family "just by existing".
She also spoke about Prince Harry's relationship with his father and gave details of their lives in California - where they moved after stepping back as working royals in 2020.
On Tuesday the latest instalment of the duchess's podcast, Archetypes, was released on Spotify.
In it she discusses marriage and the challenges of being a single, unmarried woman with actor Mindy Kaling.
Introducing the episode Meghan talks about how she planned her wedding as a 14-year-old for a school project.
"The message even at my feminist all-girls school was as traditional as it gets. First comes love. Then comes marriage."
She adds: "The associations our society makes around unmarried women feels so outdated and I wanted to give them a refresh."
- Published5 September 2022
- Published30 August 2022
