Prince Harry traded barbs and shared laughs with the new members of the United Kingdom’s Invictus Games team before he introduced them to the crowd gathered at the Tower of London on Tuesday.
The 90-strong team of men and women will compete in Paralympic-style events during the Invictus Games in Toronto in September. The British athletes will face teams from 17 nations across the globe.
The 32-year-old royal created the international multi-sport competition back in 2014 as an opportunity for injured military personnel and veterans to come together in the name of sport and to bring attention to their struggles. At least 550 athletes are expected to participate this fall.
According to the Invictus Games website, the events are meant to “inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate wider understanding of and respect for those who serve their country, and their loved ones.”
Prince Harry, an Afghanistan army veteran himself, spoke of the benefits of the Invictus Games to the assembled team members before him.
“No matter how you are going to do, I promise you that you will feel like a million dollars,” he said. “Whether you cross the finishing line first or last, it will make no difference to me or to anyone. It’s in our blood to win. It’s in our nature to win.”
The casually-dressed prince also smiled as he posed for photographs with the team and played with one of the team member’s service dog.
Bernie Broad was one of many athletes who brushed shoulders with the prince on Tuesday. Broad lost both of his legs in the line of duty after a roadside bomb explosion.
When Broad arrives in Toronto this fall, he’ll compete in swimming and golf while also serving as captain of the British team. He said he’s thrilled to represent his country.
“Toronto, the soldiers, to meet all the people, the location -- it’s just going to be something that is difficult to put in words and emotions,” Broad said.
Prince Harry also got a special shout-out from six-year-old Maya Turner, whose mother, a sergeant with the Royal Air Force, lives with a debilitating heart condition. She will compete in rowing and swimming in Toronto.
Maya read a handwritten letter she wrote to Prince Harry thanking him for his dedication.
“Thank you Help for Heroes and Prince Harry for helping my mommy and her friends. P.S. I hope I have my two front teeth for Toronto,” she wrote.
Prince Harry will be travelling to Sydney, Australia next week in preparation for the 2018 Invictus Games, which was awarded to the city in November.
