The fourth annual Invictus Games opened at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, on October 20, and Prince Harry kicked it off with a speech at the opening ceremony. The prince, like most people, practiced his speech ahead of time and was photographed doing so. Metro reported on one photo in particular that has gone viral. The Sydney Opera House seats over 5,700 people, but in this photo, only one person is seated in the world-famous venue: Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.
The Invictus Games was created by Prince Harry and first took place in September, 2014, in London. The other two locations of the Invictus Games were Orlando, Florida, in 2016 and Toronto, Ontario, in 2017. Prince Harry is said to have been inspired by the Warrior Games he saw in Colorado in 2013. The games were not held in 2015 in order to allow the city of Orlando to plan the 2016 event and raise sufficient funds to stage it. The website for the Invictus Games proclaims it as “the only international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick Servicemen and women.”
Ahead of Saturday’s opening ceremony, an electrical storm hit Sydney, damaging some of the electrical equipment intended for use during the event. Because of this, the ceremony was postponed, allowing Prince Harry some extra time to practice his speech. His chosen audience for that practice was his wife, who has her fair share of public speaking experience with a previous position as U.N. Women’s Advocate for Women’s Political Participation and Leadership.
Royal tour: Meghan and Prince Harry to launch Invictus Games https://t.co/lNXQzEfStn
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) October 20, 2018
The photo captured a rare moment of alone time for the couple, who are constantly hounded by cameras and the admiring public. Their trip to Australia has been no different. To the joy of the crowd, Harry got personal for a moment toward the end of his speech and mentioned the imminent birth of his first son.
“Thank you for the welcome you have given Meghan and I over the last few days. I have been so proud to be able to introduce my wife to you and we have been so happy to be able to celebrate the personal joy of our newest addition with you all. “
It drew a smile from Harry as the crowd applauded.
The Invictus Games will last until Saturday, October 27, and will include competitions like wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, and indoor rowing. Over 500 people will compete with about 1,000 spectators in multiple locations in Sydney, including Sydney Olympic Park and Sydney Harbour.
You can watch the prince’s speech in full below.
