Prince Harry’s cheeky Meghan Markle reference at Invictus Games: ‘More competitive’

She might not have been there – but that didn’t stop Harry making a reference to his wife during the Invictus Games’ opening ceremony.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Prince Harry has joked about his and Meghan Markle’s “competitive” streaks during his speech at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, addressed the thousands of competitors and their families at the launch event in Dusseldorf, sharing words of wisdom and praising them for their spirit.

Toward the end of his 10-minute speech, Harry noted the new nations joining the Games this year – including Colombia, Israel and Nigeria – before making a cheeky reference to his wife.

“Now, I’m not saying we play favourites in our home, but since my wife discovered she’s of Nigerian descent, it’s likely to get a little bit more competitive this year,” he joked, in reference to Meghan revealing last year that she’d undergone a genealogy test years back and discovered she is 43% Nigerian.

Harry took the stage at the opening ceremony. Picture: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Elsewhere in his stirring speech, Harry spoke about the “pride and honour” that comes with representing your country.

“Now, remember that feeling of pride and honour when you first wore your nation’s flag on your uniform? Most of us perhaps remember more its final outing, or the time we hung it up for good,” he told the crowd.

“Am I right in saying for some, it represented a cape? Perhaps a shield, or an escape? For others, an opportunity, a recognition, or a calling? No matter what it meant to you then, or your reasons for signing up, it was always about being of service to others and to your mates.

“You discovered things about yourself you’d never knew. Skills and abilities you didn’t know that you had. You unlocked your potential and performance. And you understood the power of working as a team.

“Ultimately, you were part of a purpose larger than yourself, and that feeling felt good. And I’m guessing a lot of you in this stadium tonight have felt the absence of that feeling for months, maybe years. Well, not anymore.”

Meghan with Harry at the 2022 Games in The Hague. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Harry travelled to Germany along for the Games’ September 9 kick-off, with Meghan due to join him in the coming days.

Prior to heading to Dusseldorf, Harry had a brief stopover in the UK, where he attended the annual WellChild Awards. On Friday, he made a surprise visit to the late Queen’s final resting place at St George’s Chapel on the one year anniversary of her death.

It’s understood Harry did not meet with any members of his family during the visit to his home country.

It comes after reports emerged in late August that Harry was eager to meet with King Charles and Prince William for “peace talks”.

But according to US website the Daily Beast, Charles and William were against the idea.

“Charles won’t be seeing Harry and nor will William. No chance. He feels utterly betrayed by what Harry wrote about him in the book and said about him on Netflix,” a source close to the Prince of Wales told the publication.

Harry hasn’t seen since his father since the coronation in May, and even then, it was reported he spent no time with Charles or his brother Prince William during the brief trip.