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After meeting with the young girl, the prince wasted no time getting straight into the action and was photographed throughout the day chatting with athletes and learning about the preparations already underway for the games for next year’s event.
Harry even tried his own hand at archery. Though he was wearing more formal attire, the royal didn’t let that stop him from pulling the arrow back and aiming for the bullseye — with assistance, of course, from some of the Invictus Games experts.
After landing the arrow close to the target’s center, Harry received a congratulatory handshake for his efforts.
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He then moved to see the games’ sponsor Jaguar Land Rover’s prototype vehicles, which include new mobility technology.
“I had seen first-hand the transformative power of sport in helping people physically and psychologically recover and knew that the Invictus Games would change lives, capture hearts and inspire a generation, the Invictus generation,” Harry said in a speech during the visit.
“Now here we are, launching the countdown to the fifth Invictus Games and I am absolutely thrilled that many more wounded, injured and sick Servicemen and women will have the opportunity to continue their journey to recovery,” he added.
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The short trip occurred just days after Harry and his wife Meghan Markle welcomed their first child on Monday.
During the event, while chatting to a friend, the proud papa discussed how fatherhood was the “best thing he will ever do.”
Harry’s pal JJ Chalmers, a former Invictus star and broadcaster, reflected on how difficult it must have been for the royal to leave his four-day-old baby at home.
“If anything I suppose it shows the importance of this competition to him,” he remarked. “The [Invictus] is his first baby.”
He went on to share that Meghan — who made her first public appearance with Harry during the 2017 Invictus Games — also holds the annual event in high regard. “I’m sure Meghan would love to be here too. This event has families at the absolute heart of it,” he remarked.
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Harry even found a way to display his love for both the games and his newborn son, by wearing a jacket with the words “Invictus Family Daddy” embroidered on it in bold lettering.
Taking things to an even more touching level, within the phrase there was an even more touching message highlighted in yellow lettering, which read: “I Am Daddy.”
And even when he wasn’t outside, Harry’s love for his baby boy was still on display, as underneath the jacket he wore a black shirt with the same embroidering on it.
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The next Invictus Games, which will run from May 9 through May 16, 2020, will be held in the Netherlands — following on from successful games in Sydney, Toronto, Orlando, and London.
The event uses the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generates a wider understanding and respect for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women.
It is poignant that the Netherlands was chosen to host the 2020 games, which will have over 500 competitors from 19 nations competing in nine adaptive sports events, as it will be 75 years since the end of World War II and the city being rebuilt in 1945.