UK

Meghan set to join Harry at Invictus Games in Canada

Meghan is set to join Harry at the Invictus Games in Canada, which is the seventh edition of the games.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pictured in April 2024
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pictured in April 2024 (Yaroslav Sabitov/PA)

The Duchess of Sussex will join her husband, the Duke of Sussex, at the Invictus Games in Canada.

The seventh edition of the games, established by Harry in 2014, begin in Vancouver on Saturday and bring together more than 500 competitors from 23 nations.

It is the first time the games will include winter sports.

Meghan’s attendance is understood to underscore her support for her husband and the mission of Invictus, a cause that is deeply personal to them both, and her focus at the games will be on uplifting her husband, the competitors and sharing their stories.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto (Danny Lawson/PA)

The couple famously appeared in public together for the first time at the Toronto Invictus Games in 2017, pictured hand-in-hand at a wheelchair tennis event.

In 2023, Meghan and Harry cheered on athletes among the crowds at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were sitting side-by-side clapping and also reacting to the game tensely as they watched the wheelchair basketball with Australia supporters.

While Meghan is understood to have several projects on the horizon, her family remains her top priority and she is determined to continue to stand together with Harry to support the causes they care about.

The couple visited Colombia for a four-day tour last August, with the trip focusing on tackling cyber-bullying and online digital violence as well as promoting women’s leadership.

They also embarked on a three-day visit to Nigeria earlier in 2024 at the invitation of the West African nation’s chief of defence staff.

Royal British Legion’s Team UK on the tarmac at Birmingham Airport as the team depart for the Invictus Games in Canada
Royal British Legion’s Team UK on the tarmac at Birmingham Airport as the team depart for the Invictus Games in Canada (Joe Giddens/PA)

British veterans and serving personnel who were injured during service departed for Canada earlier this week for the games.

The 62 competitors – all veterans and serving personnel who sustained life-changing injuries and illnesses while serving in the UK Armed Forces – left the country from Birmingham Airport on Thursday.

The games aim to “inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for those who have served their country”, the Royal British Legion said.

The games have previously been held in London in 2014, in Orlando in 2016, Toronto in 2017, Sydney in 2018, The Hague in 2022 and Dusseldorf in 2023.