Prince Harry loses penalty shootout to German politician on TV
Prince Harry failed miserably in a football shootout live on TV after the opening of the Invictus Games, as he awaits the arrival of his wife Meghan Markle.
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Prince Harry lost an on-air penalty shootout to Germany’s Federal Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius.
The embarrassing incident occurred following the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games in Duesseldorf, when the 38-year-old royal took a helicopter and flew more than 200km to appear on the German television to help promote the competition.
Prince Harry was all smiles as he faced a goal wall challenge alongside Mr Pistorius and two other guests.
The royal asked show host Katrin Müller-Hohenstein what would happen if he scored “zero”, before TV presenter Sven Voss responded “you have to wear a German jersey”.
Prince Harry was told to go first, but looking puzzled said: “Why do I have to go first?”
Ms Müller-Hohenstein replied “because you are Prince Harry”.
He then stepped up to take three penalties and jokingly pointed to an off-screen cameraman to move out of the way.
But the Duke of Sussex failed to convert any of his six shots against a modified goal, which included two openings for players to score in the absence of a goalkeeper.
To add insult to injury, 63-year-old German minister Pistorius then calmly slotted home his first two attempts in the bottom right corner of the goal.
Mr Pistorius, a previous minister for sport in the German state of Lower Saxony, converted two of his six attempts.
Having promised to wear a Germany shirt if he lost the shootout, Prince Harry donned a scarf of Bundesliga side Mainz and smiled as the crowd cheered.
The show took place after Germany’s shock 4-1 loss to Japan and Harry joked with the victorious Pistorius “you could manage the national team”.
The defence minister quipped back, “I have enough troubles.”
PRINCE HARRY MAKES ‘NIGERIAN’ JOKE ABOUT MEGHAN
The Duke of Sussex opened the Invictus Games in Germany with a jokey reference to wife Meghan Markle and her little known Nigerian heritage.
After welcoming new nation Nigeria team to the Games for the first time, Prince Harry joked that this year’s event would get “a little bit more competitive” in the Sussex household since his wife discovered she is of Nigerian descent.
Opening the ceremony at Dusseldorf Town Hall to rapturous applause and chants of “Harry, Harry, Harry,” the Duke of Sussex delivered a heartfelt speech telling more than 500 injured veteran competitors: “You have my respect, we wouldn’t be here without you.”
Acknowledging the three new competing nations — Colombia, Israel and Nigeria — he referenced his wife Meghan, who is due to join him at the games on Monday and last year discovered she is 43 per cent Nigerian from a genealogy test.
“I’m not saying we play favourites in our home but since my wife discovered she is of Nigerian descent, it’s going to get a little bit competitive this year,” he joked.
The international multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans, was founded by the Prince, an ex veteran with the British army who had served in Afghanistan, in 2014.
Addressing the competitors, he said: “You were part of a purpose larger than yourself and that feeling felt good, but I’m guessing that hasn’t been the case for a while.
“Look at your uniform now, it may not be camouflage, but that flag is once again on your shoulder and chest.
“You and your families are once again part of a team surrounded by people who know what it means to serve, who know what it takes to get here.
“This year’s games are a home for respect, what does that word mean for you?
“Respect is something people think we should ask for, that people with injuries have to demonstrate they are worthy of, you may think that of yourselves and that you have something to prove.
“But one competitor from South Korea said we don’t overcome disabilities, we overcome perceptions of ourselves in society.”
“These games are about overcoming all perceptions that have held you back, especially those you have placed on yourselves,” he said.
“This week, break those ceilings, plough those highest of walls and male space for your worthiness and to thrive, … claim this experience and this moment … all of us are here because of you.”
The Duke called out in the audience for Yuliia Paievska, better known as Taira, a paramedic, founder and leader of the Angels of Tyra volunteer medical evacuation unit, and a member of the Invictus Games Team Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion began in 2014, Taira has saved more than 500 lives of Ukrainian defenders.
“I don't think I’ve ever met anyone as courageous and resilient as you,” he said.
“You embody the true spirit of Ukraine and of Invictus.”
Earlier, Prince Harry was met with cheers from crowds in the searing heat outside and by one irate protester who branded him a “murderer” over his confession in his memoir Spare that he had killed 25 Taliban in Afghanistan.
A small group of demonstrators bellowed anti-military slogans but as soon as Prince Harry’s car pulled into the market square in front of the town hall they were muted out by cheers from his fans.
Dusseldorf mayor Stephan Keller branded the annual games “a celebration of the unbreakable resolve that is in each athlete.”
“Tonight, we bear witness today to your unwavering strength,” he said.
HARRY’S INVICTUS MOVE AS RIFT DEEPENS
The Duke of Sussex cut a lonely figure in Windsor the day before opening the Invictus Games, visiting St George’s Chapel in where the late Queen is buried.
In stark contrast, his brother Prince William and wife Catherine attended a private ceremony, 370 km away, at St Davids Church in the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire, to mark the Queen’s passing where they were greeted by hoards of cheering crowds.
The King and Queen Camilla, for their part, joined a private commemorative service at Balmoral’s parish church in Scotland, where they made time to greet well wishers and staff gathered outside.
Prince Harry did not meet with his brother or father during his whistlestop visit to the UK, where he attended an awards ceremony sponsored by WellChild, a charity for terminally ill children, of which he is patron.
He told supporters there, that his wife Meghan would join him ahead of next Saturday when they give a speech at the closing ceremony of the event he founded in 2014.
The Duchess will host a segment of the closing ceremony highlighting the courage and resilience shown by the servicemen and women and the event’s ability to transform lives, organisers said.
The couple were last seen in public together at the Ms Foundation awards ceremony in New York on May 16, after which they claimed they were the victims of a relentless two hour car chase. Recently they were spotted at a Beyonce concert.
The rift between Harry and his brother and father seems to have deepened.
“Harry flew straight out of the UK on Friday for Germany after leaving St George’s Chapel where he reflected on the Queen’s memory and did not see Prince William or The King,” said royal biographer and commentator Robert Jobson.
“The wounds are still open, a lot of damage has been done but, for the time being, the doors are closed.”
The fifth in the line to the throne was photographed paying respects to the Queen by a tourist just before William and Kate, wearing a pair of the Queen’s earrings, arrived at the chapel where the Queen lays alongside her husband Prince Philip and sister Princess Margaret.
Various members of the royal family visited the chapel throughout the day.
Prince Harry flew into the UK on Thursday for the WellChild awards from his home in California, making his first appearance in the country since June when he attended court to challenge the Mirror Group Newspapers over phone hacking.
It was this time last year, as the Duke prepared for the charity awards, that news filtered through that his grandmother’s life was ebbing.
He took a rushed flight to Scotland but arrived too late to see the Queen take her last breath.
“As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away,” he told the audience.
“As you also probably know, she would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her. And that’s precisely why I know, exactly one year on, she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy we’re together continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.”
The Prince will stay in Dusseldorf for the next seven days, on the 17th floor of the Hyatt Regency hotel in the city.
He set up the Games himself, holding the first in 2014, with this year’s event marking the sixth following previous editions in London, Sydney and Toronto. The games are particularly important for the Duke with the 2017 edition marking his first public appearance with Meghan.
More than 500 competitors from 21 countries are taking part and organisers say up to 100,000 people will attend the games which will close with a speech from Prince Harry and a performance from singer Rita Ora.
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