Prince Harry pledges global unity with Ukraine at Invictus Games

Prince Harry spoke at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games at the Hague, where the royal family member noted the world stands united with Ukraine. 

He spoke of the Ukrainian servicepeople who’d travelled to the Netherlands to compete, saying “You told me yesterday why you decided to join us, despite all odds. You said you came to be on this global stage, not simply to show your strength, but to tell your truth, the truth of what is happening in your country.” 

Harry is joined by his wife Meghan Markle, and the duo met with British Queen Elizabeth II before coming for the start of the games. Notably, the Invictus Games have been pushed back by two years due to COVID and were initially started by Harry in 2014, to help injured servicepeople recover and rehabilitate, relying on sports. 

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The Prince himself was in the British army for two years, completing two tours of Afghanistan. 

Apart from Harry, the Dutch Prime Minister also praised the Ukrainian team. 

Mark Rutte noted, “Unity and solidarity will always win out over confrontation and conflict”, adding, “We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainian Invictus community. Some of them can’t be here because they are fighting on the frontlines. Others have lost their lives in the war. They are in our thoughts”. 

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His statement concluded, “The stories of the athletes competing in the Invictus Games are stories of resilience. They show us that, whatever challenges we face, our souls remain unconquered”. 

Earlier, news surfaced that the Queen had donated aid to Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into the neighbouring country. 

Harry and Markle were the first members of the Royal Family to publicly condemn the actions in Ukraine, with their charity, Archewell, releasing a statement saying, “Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and all of us at Archewell, stand with the people of Ukraine against this breach of international and humanitarian law and encourage the global community and its leaders to do the same”.