Prince Harry has delivered a powerful message in first official engagement since he returned back to UK.
While attending the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, south-east London, on Thursday evening, the Duke of Sussex gave a speech during his first public appearance since returning to the UK.
He said, “In 2008, flying home from Afghanistan, I travelled alongside three seriously injured British servicemen and the coffin of a Danish soldier.”
Harry added, “That flight stayed with me because it helped me begin to understand two things about the military that would shape the rest of my life: it gives you purpose, identity, belonging, a team; and in a matter of seconds, injury or illness can take it all away.”
He continued, “Years later, after seeing the Warrior Games in America, we brought an idea back to London. We had less than a year to make it happen — which was probably useful, because it gave everyone less time to tell us it couldn’t be done.”
The Duke shared, “In September 2014, more than 400 competitors from 13 nations came together for the first ever Invictus Games. Now 12 years later, thousands have benefited. We have 26 nations in our community, and the games are coming home!”
“And something happened that was bigger than sports competition. People who thought a part of their life was over began to see that something else might just be beginning. Their families, too, saw loved ones return to them in mind and spirit,” he mentioned.
Prince Harry praised veterans for their service and highlighted their continued role in supporting others, stressing that their resilience, leadership and example help strengthen communities far beyond the military.
To note, Harry founded the Invictus Games for wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans, which takes place every two years, in 2014.
Prince Harry made the first public appearance after he alongside Meghan Markle, and their children, Prince Archie (7) and Princess Lilibet (5), touched down in England on August 26, 2026.
