Getty ImagesThe Duke of Sussex called on competitors to overcome a “moment of difficulty and division in many parts of the world” as he opened the latest edition of the Invictus Games in Canada.
Prince Harry was speaking at the opening ceremony in Vancouver with his wife Meghan, on Saturday.
The couple initially watched from the stands, cheering and clapping for the UK’s team as their competitors walked on the stage.
Their public appearance came just hours after US President Donald Trump spoke about the couple in an interview, saying “I’ll leave him alone” when asked whether he thought Prince Harry should be deported from the US.
“He’s got enough problems with his wife,” the president added. “She’s terrible.”
The prince founded the Invictus Games in London in 2014, with this year marking the seventh edition of the competition for wounded military veterans.
The next nine days of competition will see more than 500 athletes competing in 11 different events, including winter sports for the first time.
The ceremony included musical performances by Katy Perry, Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Nelly Furtado.
Getty Images
ReutersGiving an emotional speech at the ceremony, Prince Harry, who himself served in Afghanistan and saw some of his comrades suffer life-changing injuries, told the crowd of 40,000: “We gather here in Vancouver in a spirit of unity.
“Beyond any differences, here at the Invictus Games we are grounded in mutual respect, competing fiercely, but believing in one another.”
The prince honoured Canada’s indigenous First Nations peoples in his speech, thanking them for hosting the games.
And he told the competitors: “Over the past decade I’ve lost count of the times we’ve heard you tell us that the Invictus Games saved you.
“Respectfully, I disagree. Invictus didn’t save you. You saved yourself.”
The ceremony also saw British group Coldplay take the stage, with frontman Chris Martin playing the Invictus Anthem, which he penned in 2014.
Canadian singer Nelly Furtado performed her 2000s global hit I’m Like a Bird and invited dance crew ILL-Abilities on stage as part of her set.
Pop star Katy Perry closed off the show, performing some of her repertoire including chart-topper Roar.
Trump says ‘I’ll leave Harry alone’
Earlier, US President Donald Trump told the New York Post he would not be in favour of deporting the prince, who moved to the US in 2020.
Some activists have questioned the Prince Harry’s US visa status after he admitted previously taking illegal drugs in his memoir, Spare.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, filed a lawsuit asking for the prince’s immigration records, suggesting he had lied on his visa form or was given special treatment when he and the duchess moved to Southern California in 2020.
Trump has previously suggested that if Prince Harry was found to have lied “appropriate action” would be needed.
But when asked on Friday by the New York Post whether the prince would be deported, Trump said: “I don’t want to do that. I’ll leave him alone.
“He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”
He added that he believed “poor Harry is being led around by the nose”.
Former actress Meghan has in the past been a vocal critic of Trump, calling him “divisive” and a “misogynist”, while Trump has previously called Meghan “nasty”.
In the interview, the president also praised Prince Harry’s older brother, Prince William, “a great young man”.
Admitting past drug use does not automatically result denial of a US visa, but it can cause delays, and lying on a visa form can lead to deportation.
US presidents do not normally get involved in individual visa decisions. The couple have not responded to Trump’s comments.
Getty ImagesThe prince was inspired to set up the games after seeing the 2013 Warrior Games in the US, where injured and retired service personnel competed.
The first edition of the games was held in London in 2014, with subsequent competitions being staged in the US, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and Germany.
The 2017 games in Toronto was also where Prince Harry was pictured with his then-girlfriend Meghan for the first time. She has joined him at every edition of the competition since.
