Prince Harry appeared emotional as he joined the athletes at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games being held at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena.
The outgoing Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, was also in attendance just hours after he and Harry had attended an indoor rowing event at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
Trudeau have a rousing speech to around 12,000 people at the ceremony and gave a heartfelt tribute to Harry, which turned into a standing ovation for the royal.
“It is just such an honour to be here because the Invictus Games are about more than competition,” he began his speech. “They’re about perseverance in the face of adversity, and they are about the strength and resilience of the human spirit.”
“It’s about not letting an injury, whether it be physical or mental, define who you are or what you can accomplish.”
Later in the speech, he gave a special shout-out to Prince Harry, which brought tears to his eyes as the people around him stood up to honour him.
“To the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, without whom these Invictus Games would never have happened,” he told the cheering crowd. “You are the one who turned this incredible idea into a reality.
He continued, “As someone you roped in early in my time as Prime Minister, I can testify to the energy, the dedication, the commitment this man has to you and to this ideal.”
A tearful Harry looked embarrassed and humbly urged the crowd to “sit down”.
The closing ceremony also marked the official handover to the Invictus Games’ 2027 host Birmingham.
