By THERESA BRAINE | [email protected] | New York Daily News
Prince Harry will make another return to the U.K. next month to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, the athletic contest he founded in 2014 to help rehabilitation of wounded and sick veterans and active service members.
It will add to the handful of times the prodigal prince has returned to his homeland since quitting royal duties in 2020 with his wife, Meghan Markle.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex pose for a photo during the Mixed Team Gold Medal match between Team Colombia and Team Poland during day six of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 on September 15, 2023 in Duesseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images for Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023)
“Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex will attend the Invictus Games Foundation’s 10th Anniversary celebration at St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday 8th May,” the Invictus Games announced on its website. “This Service of Thanksgiving is reflecting on 10 years since the inaugural Invictus Games London 2014, marking a decade of changing lives and saving lives through sport.”
Harry will do a reading, and “Homeland” actor Damien Lewis will recite the Invictus poem, according to People.
After the ceremony, Prince Harry and Markle will head to Nigeria, a strong supporter of the games, for cultural activities and with an eye to the country being a future host.
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Harry and Markle’s visit will serve to “consolidate Nigeria’s stronghold at the games and the possibility of hosting the event in later years,” Nigerian defense spokesman Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau said Sunday in a statement.
Nigeria’s military is beset by Islamic extremists in the northeastern part of the country, in a war that has been ongoing since 2009.
Prince Harry modeled the Invictus Games after the U.S.’s Warrior Games in order to provide wounded veterans the chance to participate in the types of sports events showcased in the Paralympics.
He is a veteran himself, having served in Afghanistan an Apache helicopter copilot gunner in 2012-2013.
Besides the funeral of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022 and his father’s coronation the year after, Harry flew to London in February after his father, King Charles III, announced his cancer diagnosis.
The next Invictus Games will be held in Vancouver in 2025, and organizers will work with First Nations to “ensure Indigenous protocols are respected in all aspects of the Games,” in line with the calls to action outlined by Canada’s Truth & Reconciliation Commission, the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 says.
