At the Invictus Games, Prince Harry has had an exciting and emotional week. As the competition came to an end, the Duke of Sussex gave a speech in which, somewhat surprisingly, he mentioned a significant portion of his previous royal life.
When Harry spoke with Master Corporal James Gendron at the Invictus 2025 tent, which was hosted by the Canadian team, he recalled an emotional moment in which the Prince noticed a set of bagpipes in the tent’s corner. He said in the speech, “Some of you may know what bagpipes mean to me, so I couldn’t help but hope they’d be played!”
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In his memoir, Spare, the Duke revealed that the late Queen, Harry’s grandmother, had a particular fondness for bagpipes. She enjoyed the sound of the instrument when she woke up and insisted on having it play while she had dinner. When King Charles stays in his royal residences, he too wakes up to the sound of bagpipes. A month after the late Queen passed away, in October of last year, Charles posted a heartfelt video of his piper performing for him at his London royal residence for the first time.
Harry continued by stating that the Master Corporal had a special bond with the instrument, as he revealed: “I had no idea what they meant to him, but I had no idea that thirty minutes later, James would be picking them up and offering to play. I was also unaware of the memories they brought up for him. He performed at 63 ramp ceremonies in Afghanistan. for 63 coffins. 63 souls in all. for 63 households.
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“After that final ceremony, he was unable to touch them for four years. He wasn’t sure if he could bring himself to actually PLAY them this week. Well, he did. Dare I suggest that what had once plagued him is now potentially the key to his recovery.”
Prince Harry has previously spoken out about the painful memories associated with bagpipes.
Regarding the passing of his mother Princess Diana, he wrote in Spare that “the tone of bagpipes is just as important as the tune.” Bagpipes, which date back thousands of years, are designed to magnify the heart’s natural resonance. When you’re in a silly mood, bagpipes make you even more silly.
“Bagpipes raise the boiling point of your blood when you’re angry. Furthermore, bagpipes have the potential to make someone insane if they are grieving, even if they are twelve years old and unaware of it.
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After a tremendously thrilling day for Harry, who celebrated his 39th birthday on Friday, comes Saturday’s Closing Ceremony.
A chorus of Happy Birthday was led by Harry’s wife, Meghan, to the assembled crowd in the stadium. The event organizers started the singing, and the Duke took it all in good humor, putting his head in his hands and poking a finger at them.
Photo: Isabelle Casey
Then, as Harry got closer to the field, he was treated to the song being sung in German. The Prince did not respond to the crowds’ calls for “speech” after the singing concluded.
After their return to Los Angeles, Harry and his spouse will meet up with their kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Harry and Meghan have talked about their kids while at the Games and expressed the hope that they will be there for future events.
