Prince Harry Steps Out Solo for Second Day of Competition at Invictus Games Düsseldorf

Prince Harry makes the most of the Invictus Games in Germany!

On Monday, the Duke of Sussex, 38, went solo for the second day of sporting events at the Paralympic-style competition for veterans and service personnel in Düsseldorf. Prince Harry established an international adaptive tournament to promote the transformative power of sport for those who served in 2014, and the current Games mark the event’s sixth cycle.

King Charles’ younger son was all smiles as he attended the track and field finals on Monday morning. Harry spent time with Team UK’s Wali Noori, who was blinded by a Taliban bomb in 2009, and spoke to Yulia Laputina, Ukraine’s Minister of Veterans Affairs.

The Duke of Sussex appeared to be in good spirits from his seat in the stands for the athletics final, watching the action closely alongside Laputin, Kenyan senator Gloria Orwoba and David Wiseman, a British army veteran and Invictus Games official who appeared in Heart of Invictus, Netflix’s new limited series about the Invictus Games in The Hague in April 2022

Prince Harry takes part in a fun football challenge on German TV after the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games

Prince Harry captures some of the competition at the 2023 Invictus Games in Duesseldorf, Germany.

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Prince Harry has been connecting with athletes in recent days, chatting with them and posing for photos. In a post shared by Team UK competitor Charlie Holford, he wore sunglasses for a pair of selfies. While Harry was smiling in the first shot, he made a frowny face in the second. Holford, who goes by the name @onelegandamullet on Instagram, captioned the post: “Picture 1 – I told him he could try them on. Picture 2 – I told him he couldn’t keep them. He did manage to stroke my hair though, he left a happy man .”

Royal photographer Tim Rooke caught the moment where Harry met another man with a ginger beard—and reached out to touch her!

Prince Harry has been on the move since arriving in Düsseldorf on Friday, where he met with athletes and volunteers ahead of Saturday’s opening ceremony. The Duke of Sussex wore a black polo with the Invictus Games logo and later changed into a suit for the Invictus Games host city’s reception at the town hall, where he walked in with the mayor of Dusseldorf, Stephan Keller.

The 2023 Invictus Games bring together 500 athletes from 21 countries to compete in 10 sports, and Harry held the stage for an empowering speech at the opening ceremony on Saturday. The Duke of Sussex shared words of wisdom about self-discovery and teamwork, while also giving a cheeky shout-out to his wife Meghan Markle.

Prince Harry speaks with Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine Yulia Laputina at the 2023 Invictus Games in Duesseldorf, Germany.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Towards the end of his speech, Prince Harry recognized the new nations joining the games – including Colombia, Israel and Nigeria – and as he explained, Nigeria definitely has fans in his household.

“Now, I’m not saying we play favorites in our home, but since my wife discovered that she’s of Nigerian descent, it’s probably going to be a little bit more competitive this year,” he said, referring to Meghan’s discovery that she’s 43% Nigerian through a genealogy test. which she talked about in her podcast Archetypes in October 2022.

Elsewhere in the address, the Duke of Sussex asked those present to look at their current uniforms, and while he noted that they may not be camouflage, they are “once again part of a team” and “surrounded by people who know what it means to serve, who have a good idea of ​​what it takes to get here, who see and know you and respect you through your shared experience.”

That evening, Spare the author appeared on a TV show Das aktuelle Sportstudio on the German channel ZDF, where he talked about the Invictus Games and took part in a football challenge — it wasn’t as easy as it looked!

Prince Harry jokes about his ‘competitive’ household during Invictus Games Empowering speech: ‘I’m not saying we’re favourites’

In footage from the show shared on social media, Prince Harry and German Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, along with Angel Anderson and Jens Niemeyer, took turns trying to kick a soccer ball through two holes in the wall in a studio set to a paper clip segment.

Although Harry didn’t score, he happily donned the scarf he had been given by local German club, FSV Mainz 05 (instead of the national jersey), to huge applause from the crowd. He also spoke about the impact of the founding of the Invictus Games. “To be honest with you, setting up the Invictus Games was a lifesaver for me,” the British Army veteran, who was deployed twice to Afghanistan during his 10-year tour of duty, told talkSPORT. “I didn’t realize it at first, but being in this community, I heard a lot of stories, there were a lot of similarities.”

Prince Harry supported the start of the Invictus competition early on Sunday morning, where he watched the opening rounds of powerlifting and wheelchair rugby.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry hold hands on day two of the 2020 Invictus Games at Zuiderpark on April 17, 2022 in The Hague, Netherlands.

Samir Hussein/WireImage

While he has appeared solo at Invictus so far, he is expected to be joined by a special guest in the coming days. Last month, a spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed that Meghan, 42, would attend the Invictus Games, as she has done in previous years.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are delighted to attend the 2023 Invictus Games in Düsseldorf. The Duke will be in attendance throughout the games and will be joined by the Duchess shortly after the games begin,” the spokesperson said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.

The closing ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, September 16, and Rita Ora will perform.

Prince Harry’s trip to Europe began with a stop in the United Kingdom for a cause close to his heart. On Thursday, he attended the WellChild Awards in London. The national charity works to support seriously ill children and their families, and Harry has been a patron since 2007. The Prince regularly attends the annual WellChild Awards, with Meghan joining him in 2018 and 2019.

The event fell a day before the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death on September 8, and Harry spoke of how he felt his grandmother’s presence there.

Prince Harry gives a speech during the WellChild 2023 Annual Awards.

Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty

“As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year because my grandmother passed away,” the Duke of Sussex said on stage after presenting the Inspirational Child Award for 4-6 year olds. “As you probably know, she would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with all of you instead of going to her. And that’s exactly why I know, exactly one year later, she’s looking down on us all tonight, happy to be together and continue to highlight such an amazing community.”

That Friday, he made a private stop at Queen Elizabeth’s burial site on the first anniversary of her death. The ruler was laid to rest in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle after her death last September 8 at the age of 96. The Telegraph shared a photo of Harry walking out of the chapel towards a waiting car.

A royal source confirmed to PEOPLE that some members of the royal family visited the chapel on the anniversary.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth in Wales on September 8, 2023.

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However, Prince Harry was not expected to meet his father, King Charles, or his brother, Prince William, during his visit to England.

The king, 74, quietly marked the anniversary of his mother’s death and his own throne at Balmoral. King Charles and Queen Camilla were photographed driving to the service at Crathie Kirk on the anniversary.

Meanwhile, Prince William and Kate Middleton visited Wales on Friday. The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 41, took part in a short private service at the ancient cathedral of St. David, which included a commemoration of Queen Elizabeth’s life that coincided with the first anniversary of her death. In an emotional moment, Princess Kate laid flowers in front of her mother-in-law’s portrait.

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Source: HIS Education