Prince Harry cheers on Invictus Games athletes in Germany without Meghan Markle
The Duke of Sussex appeared in his realm as he mingled with athletes and fans at the Invictus Games. See photos, video.
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Prince Harry has been cheering on the competitors at the Invictus Games in Germany, but he’s still without his wife, Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, appeared to be in a lively mood as he joined in with the chanting at a track and field event and took snaps with athletes and spectators.
According to The Sun, Prince Harry was cheered by the crowd as he took his seat in the grandstand at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf and was joined by around six members of his entourage.
As competitors raced in the 200 metres event, the royal could be seen cheering them on.
He sat next to Yulia Laputina, Ukraine’s Minister of Veterans Affairs who wore a military uniform and had a Ukrainian flag draped over her shoulders.
Prince Harry was expected to attend the final of the wheelchair rugby, which is usually one of his favourite events.
The Invictus Games, for disabled military veterans, go for a week and the Duke has said he will attend as many events as he can.
While attending the wheelchair basketball, Prince Harry sat next to a variety of dignitaries which included Nigeria’s defence minister, NASA administrator Bill Nelson and a member of the South Korean delegation at the games.
Prince Harry had arrived at the event followed by dozens of thrilled school children who had been given time off from their studies to attend the event.
Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, 42, is expectedto join Harry at the event.
The royals are due to stay in the presidential suite at a waterfront hotel where they will be celebrating Harry’s 39th birthday on Friday.
During the opening of the event, Prince Harry compared himself to American president John F. Kennedy when he took to the stage and took a new riff on JFK’s famous speech in West Berlin in 1963 during the Cold War when he said ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’.
Prince Harry instead told the packed audience “Ich bin ein Dusseldorfer” referring to the host city.
The expat royal’s comparison to assassinated President Kennedy comes as warring sibling Prince William used a famous JFK ‘moonshot’ speech about putting a man on the moon to inspire his £50 million ($A97m) Earthshot Prize to save the planet.
Harry looked emotional and close to tears on stage after he received a 60-second standing ovation with cries of “Harry, Harry”.
He opened his address with a smattering of German words thanking Dusseldorf for hosting the games.
Prince Harry told the crowd: “I don’t know about you but that last year went very fast, Ich bin ein Dusseldorfer.
“We went from stroopwafels to schnitzels in a blink of an eye.”
He also revealed his wife was almost half Nigerian.
Last October, Meghan revealed that she discovered she is 43 per cent Nigerian after doing a genealogy test ‘a couple years ago’.
She made the startling revelation on an episode of her now-defunct Archetypes podcast on Spotify.
Prince Harry told the crowd in Dusseldorf that Nigeria had sent a team for the first time.
He said: “Now I’m not saying we play favourites in our home - but since my wife discovered she is of Nigerian descent it’s likely to get a little bit more competitive this year.”
The prince added: “Remember you are not only watching and participating in sport bit experiencing the magic of the human spirit learning first hand from those who learn not bound by their journey but instead freed by it.”
The Invictus Games competition this year will run until September 16.
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