Prince Harry beamed as he met British competitors at the Invictus Games in Germany – as a mix of royal fans and protesters turned up as he arrived.
An anxious crowd of royal fans eagerly awaited the arrival of Prince Harry at a ceremony at Dusseldorf City Hall.
Over 100 people stood behind barriers in the blazing sunshine, hoping the prince would tour and greet them.
Also among the crowd was 20-year-old Madeleine Durant, who was two hours away from her home in Dortmund to see Harry.
She held up a yellow banner that read, “Harry, I came all this way to take a photo with you.” She said: “I’m a big fan of Harry and hope he sees the banner and comes over. “I really like him because he tells the truth.”
Prince Harry beamed as he met British competitors at the Invictus Games in Germany today
20-year-old Madeleine Durant (left) drove two hours from her home in Dortmund to see Harry
Harry imagined himself chatting with Boris Pistorius, Germany’s defense minister
A man holds a protest sign against Prince Harry, who described the killing of 25 Taliban in Afghanistan in his autobiography
About six people demonstrating against the German military’s involvement in the games for the disabled and wounded demonstrated in a corner of the market square.
Police outnumbered half a dozen protesters who claimed the games were being used by the military to recruit new recruits.
One of the protesters held a banner that read “Bomber Harry” – a reference to his time in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter gunner.
The estranged royal, who founded the sporting event for wounded and injured soldiers, also posed for a photo with volunteers just a day after attending a private memorial service for his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Harry was wearing a black t-shirt and looked relaxed. He stood in the middle of the group. The visit to the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf was unannounced.
The Duke of Sussex, who embarked on the solo trip to the UK without his wife and children, was spotted leaving St George’s Chapel in Windsor at lunchtime yesterday.
The fifth in line to the throne was photographed by a tourist paying his last respects to the Queen during a shocking secret visit to the church where the late monarch was buried.
He then flew to Düsseldorf, Germany, last night for the opening ceremony of his Invictus Games.
Grinning Prince Harry (center) poses with volunteers at the start of the Invictus Games in Germany
Prince Harry leaves St George’s Chapel in Windsor yesterday afternoon to mark the first anniversary of the Queen’s death. Her Majesty is buried there along with her husband Prince Philip
The Duke will be given a £2,000 night suite with stunning views over the Rhine and will be joined by his wife Meghan at the luxurious residence next week.
The spacious suite on the 17th floor of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Düsseldorf will be her base for the next eight days.
The Invictus Foundation posted a photo of the team group on its Twitter account. The group Harry posed with conducted assessments of the athletes and their recovery.
With temperatures expected to top 80 degrees, organizers are worried about those participating in outdoor events such as track and field and archery.
Many of the sports for disabled and wounded military veterans will take place in the indoor arena.
Tonight he will open the sporting event for wounded and disabled military veterans and attend the week-long event to cheer on participants in events such as archery, swimming and wheelchair rugby.
The games, sponsored by the US Boeing company, involve over 500 participants from 21 countries.
Organizers expect up to 100,000 people to attend the games, which will end with a speech by Prince Harry and a set of six songs by singer Rita Ora.
Teams from all over the world all arrived in Düsseldorf and were met at the airport by the games’ mascot, a brown bear named Buddy.
The British team, as well as friends and family, flew from Birmingham on an RAF transport aircraft. The 59 members include 15 who are still in military service while the others have retired from military service.
Prince Harry arrived at the five-star Hyatt Regency hotel in Düsseldorf yesterday before opening the 2023 Invictus Games today
Prince Harry flew to Germany for the Invictus Games after making a shockingly secret visit to Windsor Church where the Queen was buried
Great Britain team captain Lt Commander James Rogers said: “Whether veteran or still serving, we are a team approaching the Games and I am immensely proud of how much everyone has achieved in the process.” It brought a sense of camaraderie and excitement, as well as tangible physical and mental health benefits.”
Wearing a white shirt and smart trousers, Harry looked somber as he left a side door of St George’s Chapel yesterday as family, Britain and the world again mourned the Queen’s death. It is not known whether he went to Her Majesty’s Tomb in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, located within the church walls.
The public saw Harry leaving the church where his grandparents are buried around midday. A senior Range Rover was waiting for him and his bodyguard was waiting to answer the door.
Several members of the royal family are said to have visited the chapel yesterday. Harry remains close to his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie, but it’s not yet known if they and others paid their respects together. Web has reached out to Buckingham Palace and a spokesman for the Duke of Sussex for comment.
The feuding brothers are spending the first anniversary of their grandmother’s death in the same country – but still couldn’t be further apart and didn’t meet before Harry flew to Germany last night.
Harry is believed to have walked straight from the church where he married Meghan Markle in 2018 to catch a British Airways flight to Dusseldorf, where he is pictured
Harry is driven to the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Düsseldorf yesterday after his short trip to the UK
The Duke of Sussex showed his friendly side in London on Thursday as he met the winners of the WellChild Awards – a charity of which he has been a patron for 15 years and of which he remained a member even after his acrimonious departure from the royal family.
Harry flew in for the engagement from his home in California and performed in the UK for the first time since June.
But despite the long flight, the Duke cut a relaxed figure as he sat with the youngsters and their families during a pre-ceremony reception at the Hurlingham Club in south-west London.
This time last year, as Harry was preparing for the awards ceremony, news broke that his grandmother had fallen seriously ill before passing away hours later. The Duke flew to Scotland but landed too late to see the Queen before her death.
“As you know, I was unable to attend the awards ceremony last year because my grandmother passed away,” he told the audience.
“As you probably also know, she would have been the first to insist that I come to you anyway instead of going to her.” And that’s exactly why I know she’s looking down on all of us tonight, exactly one year later and fortunate that together we continue to shine the spotlight on such an incredible community.”