Following Prince Harry’s use of an affectionate nickname to address Meghan Markle on stage at the Invictus Games opening ceremony, fans of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they were ‘moved to tears.’
The Duke’s utterance of ‘thank you my love’ following his wife’s gushing introduction at the Zuiderpark stadium in The Hague has left royal watchers ‘swooning.’
One royal fan took to Twitter to share a short clip of Meghan, 40, telling the audience about her love for her husband before kissing her on the cheek.
The Duchess of Sussex expressed her admiration for Prince Harry and listed his achievements as a father and Afghanistan veteran.
As he took the microphone from Meghan and she walked back to her seat, the audience erupted in applause. The Duke appeared emotional as he took awhile to clear his throat and said: ‘thank you my love’.
The couple’s brief interaction moved royal fans, who took to social media to express their feelings, with one writing: ‘The eloquence of HRH Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex!’ ‘Thank you, my love,’ Prince Harry said after she introduced him made me swoon!’
‘Harry to Meghan: Thank you my love’ Pls I’m a mess right now,’ another said alongside crying emojis.
‘I’m crying #HarryandMeghan #InvictusGamesNL #TeamUSA #SussexSquad ‘thank you my love’ #Prince Harry,’ said a third.
Karwai Tang/WireImage
‘Meghan’s introduction of her husband Prince Harry at The #InvictusGames Opening Ceremony,’ said a fourth. The best introduction and look at Harry on the verge of crying, Meghan was crying as well at the end of her introduction and Harry’s ‘thank you my love’ to Meghan.
Prince Harry looked equally polished in a grey suit with a white shirt, while Meghan looked effortlessly chic in a stunning cream off the shoulder Khaite bodysuit worth £620 paired with black trousers.
The Duchess of Sussex pulled her hair back into a low bun to reveal stunning emerald diamond earrings that are estimated to be worth far more than her eye-catching Cartier necklace and are significantly larger than her £271,000 engagement ring.
She expressed her ‘love and respect’ for Harry before mentioning their two young children and saying she couldn’t be more proud of him.
‘Now, it is my distinguished honour to introduce someone who I believe you will be excited to hear from,’ she said after thanking the veterans present for their military service.
‘He has worked many late nights and early mornings to make these games as perfect as possible for each of you.
‘I could not love and respect him any more, and I know many of you feel the same way, because he is a fellow veteran who has served two tours in Afghanistan and ten years in the military, as well as the founder of Invictus Games and the father of our two children, Archie and Lili.
‘Please accept my heartfelt greetings on behalf of my incredible husband, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.’
Harry walked onto the stage and kissed Meghan before snatching the microphone from her grip.
As she returned to her seat, he smiled broadly and said, ‘Thank you, my love.’
Following that, Prince Harry gave a speech in which he revealed that their son Archie wants to be an astronaut, a pilot, or Kwazii, a daredevil cat from the cartoon TV series Octonauts.
‘I remind him that no matter what you want to be when you grow up, your character is what matters most, and nothing would make his mother and me prouder than to see him have the character we see before us today,’ he continued.
‘You have overcome enormous challenges as a community, and you are healing and teaching the world as you go.
‘You are resilient, strong, and compassionate people. ‘You have Invictus’s heart.’
After national teams walked out to the sound of a live military band, Harry and Meghan arrived.
They walked hand in hand and interacted with team members before taking their seats to listen to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte deliver a speech.
