Meghan Markle and Prince Harry also spoke at the 5th Invictus Games’ opening ceremony, stating that each competitor had gone through “a lot to get here, both physically and emotionally.”
The most important boy in Prince Harry’s life gets a shout-out.Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, both spoke at the opening ceremony of the 5th Invictus Games in The Hague on Saturday, after the event had been delayed for two years.
Prince Harry, 37, began his speech by kissing Meghan, 40, before praising the Invictus Games for their “boundless humility, compassion, and friendship,” praising the Netherlands and the Ukrainian team in particular.
“To be role models, or the role models that each of you are, takes strength and courage,” Harry told the crowd before going on to talk about his 2-year-old son Archie and his potential career aspirations.
“Some days it’s an astronaut, other days it’s a pilot — obviously a helicopter pilot — or Kwazii from Octonauts,” Harry said with a laugh, adding, “if you’re laughing, then you’ve seen that.”
“But what I remind him is that no matter what you want to be when you grow up, what matters most is your character, and nothing would make his mother and me prouder than to see him have the character that we see before us today,” he continued. Lilibet Diana, the couple’s 10-month-old daughter, is also part of the family.
Harry went on to say that those who participate in the Invictus Games have “overcome enormous challenges” and are thus “healing and teaching the world as you go.”
Meghan addressed the crowd before Harry’s speech and was greeted warmly, saying that she and Harry were “so grateful to the Netherlands for welcoming us and hosting the Invictus Games.”
“For each team, my husband and I both recognize how difficult it has been to get here, both physically and emotionally, not least for the Ukraine team, with whom we are all standing,” she continued, referring to the country’s ongoing conflict with Russia.
“One thing I know for sure is that every single moment it has taken to get here will be worth it,” Meghan continued, “because it is here, at the Invictus Games, that we honor your years of active duty on the field as well as your continued service to your country, family, and community off the field.”
“All the family and all the friends who are here supporting you along the way,” Meghan said, adding, “this is service, this is dedication, and this is the Invictus family.”
The Invictus Games were originally scheduled for 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were postponed to 2021 and then to 2022.
On Friday night, before the opening ceremony on Saturday, watch the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge. Even the royal couple got involved, with Prince Harry joining a team to compete in a driving obstacle course.
Later, Meghan and Harry sat in the passenger seats of mini kiddie cars as young drivers drove them around a course.
Meghan and Prince Harry made their official public debut as a couple at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto (her adopted hometown, where she lived while starring on Suits). She was by his side for the Sydney Games in 2018, just a few months after the couple announced they were expecting their first child.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry treat Lilibet to incredible birthday cake – see photo
Harry, who spent a decade in the British army and two tours in Afghanistan, was inspired to found the Invictus Games in 2014, a paralympic-style competition that showcases the unconquerable spirit of wounded, ill, and injured servicemen and women.
The previous Invictus Games took place in London in 2014, Orlando in 2016, Toronto in 2017, and Sydney in 2018. In 2023, they will be held in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Both Meghan and Harry shared a commitment to supporting the troops before they met. Harry has inspired veterans through the Walking with the Wounded charity and the Endeavour Fund, in addition to the Invictus Games. Meghan, on the other hand, went on a USO tour to Afghanistan in December 2014.
