The Invictus Games has wrapped up for the year and the closing ceremony was a seriously emotional occasion for its founder, Prince Harry.
When the Duke of Sussex appeared onstage to give a speech marking the end of the competition, he received a massive standing ovation from those in the audience and seemed embarrassed at the hugely affectionate response he received.
After nine days of intense competition between former servicepeople, over 12,000 people were in Vancouver’s Rogers Arena to mark the end of the games, and in a two-hour ceremony paid tribute to all 23 teams who had taken part, and the indigenous four host nations, whose land had been the setting for this year’s competition, which for the first time included winter sports.
Prince Harry was attending the ceremony solo, with Meghan returning to California a few days earlier where she was reunited with Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a speech during the ceremony where he paid tribute to Harry as founder of the games, which sees wounded former servicepeople from across the world go head to head in sporting events. When Trudeau spoke about Harry, the crowd went wild and gave the Duke of Sussex a standing ovation, which caused Harry – seemingly a bit embarrassed by the display of affection – to jokingly tell the crowd to “sit down” while putting a hand to his lips.
Harry also took to the stage and gave a moving speech, thanking the First Nations including Lílwat, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh, for their “partnership and friendship” and paying tribute to the competitors themselves.
“I’ve spent the past eleven days meeting children to grandparents from all over the world—from different beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities. I’ve seen how you’ve changed them. Being a hero, being a role model. It’s not just about resilience, skill, or power.
“It’s about integrity, compassion, courage. You give us hope through your healing, honesty and humanity and of course through your humour! Our entire Invictus community, whether here tonight or watching from home, is making the world a better place,” the Duke said.
Harry helped set up the Invictus Games over a decade ago, after visiting the Warrior Games in the US – a smaller-scale competition for injured veterans.
The first Invictus Games took place in London in 2014 – marking the centenary of the beginning of the First World War, something that was important to Harry as he worked to establish the competition, he explained in his memoir Spare.
“While I never expected that we would still be here in 2025, from one soldier to another, I also promise you this: So long as our brothers and sisters are striving to heal and grow, the Games will go on. So long as there are those around the world who view you with sympathy, rather than admiration and respect, the Games will go on. And so long as the challenges around us demand it and require it…the Games will go on. Bring on Invictus Birmingham 2027!”
The next Invictus Games will see the competition – and the Duke of Sussex return to the UK. Currently, Harry is involved in an ongoing legal battle with the Home Office over the removal of his automatic police security back in 2020. Whilst Harry lost the initial rounds of this legal battle, he won the right to appeal the High Court’s decision, which is scheduled for April.
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