Prince Harry spoke of his love for his family today as he attended an Invictus Games event that Meghan Markle had originally been scheduled to also appear at. The Duke was in Birmingham for a one year to go celebration of the Invictus Games 2027 when he spoke briefly with a UK TV presenter about his family.
“Honestly, your kids and Meghan must be so proud of you, do they tell you every day?” presenter Alison Hammond asked the Duke. “They don’t tell me every day that they’re proud of me,” Harry replied. “But yeah, I’m proud of them, they’re proud of me. I love my family.”
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The Duke of Sussex is greeted by Alison Hammond.
His words came as Meghan, Archie and Lilibet are rumored to be in the UK privately after a security dispute changed the family’s original travel plans. Meghan had been due to make public appearances and the while family had been scheduled to travel to London. But these plans were overhauled because they were not happy with the security.
Prince Harry gave a heartfelt speech at today’s event where he talked about the Invictus Games as being like a family. “Invictus has never just been about belonging to a team,” the Prince said. “It’s about belonging to each other. We are a family that I am so proud and so honored to be a part of.”
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The Duke of Sussex playing pickleball.
The Prince played pickleball, wheelchair basketball and laser run at the event at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre. He laughed and jostled with competitors and was praised for the community he has created with Invictus.
“The platform that Harry personally provides, he is a globally recognized person. He’s a huge deal, he’s bringing this huge platform. And what he wants to use that platform for is to share a spotlight with people, causes that he feels are particularly valuable or worth celebrating,” athlete Dave Henson, who was the UK team captain of the very first Invictus Games, told T&C ahead of today’s event.
JJ Chalmers, who competed in the 2014 Games and has since become a TV presenter, told T&C about the Prince, “He’s the same as us. We are never any happier than we are in this community. One, because we all get to see one another, and that’s why we joined the military to be amongst our brothers and sisters. But equally, you know, what we’re doing, we realize it’s really important…Like we hold so much possibility here, we need to get this right. It’s more important now that it’s ever been…we need to harness the power of this.”
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Duke of Sussex takes part in a game of Wheelchair Rugby.
“Prince Harry brings a sort of genuineness to the programs,” said Christoper Cox, from Fort Eustis, Virginia, who served in the U.S. army for 12 years and is now lead planner and deputy team manager for team USA Invictus. “When he comes in, he’s a familiar face with a lot of the athletes. He’s very personal with them, which is something they don’t always get…He’ll talk to them, share experiences of his combat experiences with theirs, and it forms that connection that is absolutely tremendous for these guys.”
UK military veteran and Invictus 2027 ambassador Jonny Ball added, “I think we need to owe an enormous amount of credit to Prince Harry for coming up with the idea of the Invictus Games. Not just for the Invictus Games and for its legacy and the fact that it’s still going and his leadership and enthusiasm and passion for this. But actually, what it means to be a veteran in this country. Like me, he’s an Afghan veteran. And what it’s done to change what we think about veterans.”
Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. Victoria authored Town & Country book The Queen: A Life in Pictures, released in 2021.