2019-09-30_Hello!_Magazine_UK

HONOURING WOUNDED HEROES

CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS OF HIS

INSPIRATIONAL INVICTUS GAMES

THE DUKE OF SUSSEX

I

tmaywellprovetobehisgreatest

legacy,andlastweektheDukeof

Sussex described the Invictus

Games,whichhelaunchedin2014,

as“genuinelyoneofthegreatest

honoursofmylife”.

PrinceHarrywasspeakingata

receptionatLondon’sGuildhallto

markthefifthanniversaryofthe

Games,aninternationalmulti-sport

eventforwounded,injuredandsick

servicepersonnelthatharnessesthe

powerofsporttoinspirerecovery

andsupportrehabilitation.

Earlier,DominicReid, chief

executiveoftheInvictusGames

Foundation,haddescribedHarryas

“thebeatingheart”ofInvictus.

“He’sdriventhis,heis responsible

forthis,” hetoldtheassembled

guests,whichincludedaround 400

competitorsandtheirfamilies.“It’s

himthatalwaysdragsusbackto

whatthisis about– thecompetitors,

theirrecoveryandtheirfamilies,”

hesaid.

Harry,whoservedintheBritish

armyfortenyears,undertakingtwo

toursofAfghanistanandrisingto

therankofcaptain,waskeento

repayhisforcescolleagueswhenhe

leftin2015.

Severalthingsalignedtoinspire

him:a triphemadetotheWarrior

GamesintheUSin2013,whenhe

witnessedfirst-handhowsportcan

helpthosesufferingfrominjuries

andmentalscars.Andanincident

while he was serving in 2008, which

herecalledinhismovingspeech

duringtheopeningoftheToronto

InvictusGamesin2017.

Harry’sfirsttourinAfghanistan

hadcometoanendandhewas

beingtransportedhomeona plane.

“AsI waswaitingtoboardthe

plane,thecoffinofa Danishsoldier

wasloadedonbyhisfriends,”said

Harry.“OnceontheflightI was

confronted with three British

soldiers,allininducedcomas,with

missinglimbs and wrappedin

plastic.ThewayI viewedservice and

sacrificechangedforever.”

TIMETOSHINE

In hisspeech last week,while

acknowledgingthepositiveripple

effecttheGameshavehadacrossthe

world,inspiringthousandsofpeople

outsidetheforceswhoalsohave

disabilities,Harryfocusedonthose

whoareat theheartof theoperation.

“Forme,thishasalwaysbeen

aboutthecompetitorsandtheir

families. Whattheyrepresent,the

strengthanddetermination,the

grit,everypartofit...

“Inthelastfiveyearstheseguys

havecompletelychangedhowwe

viewdisability,howweviewmental

health.Thisis allthem. Wemerely

createda platform inorder forthem

toshine,andit’sgenuinelybeenone

ofthegreatesthonoursofmylifeto

gettoknowallyouguysandtosee

youthroughthisprocess.”

Harry began his adresssby

s

Harry makes a

speechatthefirst

Invictus Gamesin

2014 (above),andis

jubilantwithBritish

teamcaptainDavid

Henson(left).Harry

saidGB’swin over

the US in 2014’s

wheelchair

basketball final

(below)wasoneof

his top highlights

60