Meghan Markle Joins Prince Harry at Invictus Games Event — and Takes Part in Huge Group Wave
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met competitors in the wheelchair basketball in Germany on Wednesday
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany
Meghan Markle is joining in the fun at the Invictus Games!
The Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, 38, turned up to watch one of the latest contests at the 2023 event in Düsseldorf, Germany on Wednesday morning, where they met some of the competitors at the wheelchair basketball contest between Ukraine and Australia before sitting in the stands— and taking part in a celebratory group wave.
Meghan, 42, and Harry are also expected to spend some time with the Nigerian team, who Harry said Meghan is supporting in his opening speech on Saturday.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wave their hands as they attend the wheelchair basketball game between Ukraine and Australia
“Now, I’m not saying we play favorites 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, referencing Meghan discovering that she is 43% Nigerian, thanks to a genealogy test years back, which she opened up about in October 2022.
Nigeria, along with Colombia and Israel, are new entrants this year.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games in Germany
The Düsseldorf event is the sixth Invictus Games, following previous events in London, Orlando, Sydney, The Hague and Toronto — where Meghan and Harry made their first public appearance as a couple in 2017.
The adaptive sports competition for injured, sick and wounded service personnel and veterans is the brainchild of Harry and was set up in 2014.
Having originally appeared at the 2023 event alone, Harry was reunited with Meghan after she flew into Dusseldorf from Los Angeles on Tuesday. She is expected to remain in Germany until the closing ceremony of the Games on Saturday, which follows Harry’s 39th birthday on Friday.
Related: Meghan Markle Picks Up In-N-Out Burger at the Drive-Thru While Prince Harry Is at Invictus Games
“It is so special to be here, and I’m so sorry that I was a little late for the party,” Meghan said at a special party for Family & Friends shortly after her arrival on Tuesday, before revealing that the couple’s kids Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2, had been partly responsible for the delay.
“Just like so many of you, we know this is about family and friends and the community that Invictus has created, that Fischer House has created, and so I had to just spend a little bit more time getting our little ones settled home,” the Duchess of Sussex added in her speech.
“Getting milkshakes, doing school drop off and then I just landed a couple of hours ago. I am thrilled that the first event that I can do with Invictus is here with all of you.”
Chris Jackson/Getty
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose with U.S. veteran Annika Hutsler
Meghan also went on to praise the Fisher House Foundation, which provides a home away from home for military and veteran families while their loved ones are hospitalized, and operates 94 Fisher Houses in the U.S., U.K. and Germany.
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“I was fortunate to go and visit one of their houses in Los Angeles just a couple of weeks ago and I was so moved by everything that they do. As they understand, as you do, as my husband does in creating the Invictus Games, how much the value of rehabilitation matters not just as a solitary experience, but as a family,” Meghan said.
It’s understood the couple will take in further events at the Games later on Wednesday
Jordan Pettitt/PA Images via Getty
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games in Germany
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