Here are some photos of Prince Harry on Thursday in Vancouver, where he seemingly watched back-to-back medal matches in Wheelchair Rugby. He conducted the medal presentation for the wheelchair basketball final – France won gold! Team UK won silver and Team USA won bronze. For one of the matches, he sat next to New Zealand rugby player Richie McCaw, and the two were seen sipping beers and cheering. Whenever Meghan leaves Harry alone at Invictus, he blokes out. He loves hanging out with the boys and cheering for veterans. Meanwhile, even the Murdoch press is publishing positive stories about the Sussexes and Invictus. The NY Post ran this lovely interview with Ken Fisher, founder of the Fisher House Foundation (which has been partnered with Invictus since the beginning). Fisher spoke glowingly about the Sussexes and used his platform to promote Fisher House and Invictus:
According to Ken Fisher, founder of the Fisher House Foundation — a longtime partner of the Invictus Games — the Sussexes’ connection is “genuine and real.”
“Prince Harry goes to as many events as he can, he and Meghan are very engaged with the families and competitors, so they play a very important role,” Fisher exclusively told The Post. “What people don’t see is the families bonding, not only with each other, but with other families. Because they and they alone only know what their journey has been like. So it gives them a chance to heal together and share their experiences. They’ve been through so much turmoil but having Prince Harry and Meghan there has been very important,” Fisher said, adding that “they are genuine and the bond between them is a real bond, it’s a wonderful thing to see.”
Fisher House Foundation — which provides comfort homes where military and veteran families can stay at free of charge while a loved one is receiving treatment — has supported Harry’s passion project since its inception in 2014. Fisher says the partnership works so well because both foundations “share the same goal.”
“It’s an honor to be associated with them and work closely with them,” Fisher says of the Sussexes. “We share the same goal, and that is to make sure these men and women not only get the respect and dignity they deserve, but also to let them know that even though some might still be struggling with PTSD, there is help available. And the Invictus Games shows what’s possible if you take that first step. Harry and Meghan lead the way,” he adds.
“Harry didn’t have to do what he did, but he said look, ‘If I’m going to serve my nation then I’m going to serve.’ And so he wanted to be up at the frontlines and he did. That’s not typical,” Fisher told The Post. “In that respect, it’s an honor just to be able to work with him, just because of the perspective that he brings and the way he interacts. He knows what these men and women have gone through so he and Meghan bring that healing aspect when they walk into a room, you can tell right away how much the veterans appreciate that they take the time to come and see them.”
There have been so many snide, nasty and grotesque commentaries on the Sussexes’ appearance in Canada to support the games and I’ve avoided talking about most of it. But what those horrible people fail to recognize is exactly what Fisher says here: “He and Meghan bring that healing aspect when they walk into a room, you can tell right away how much the veterans appreciate that they take the time to come and see them.” We’ve seen that time and time again over the years at Invictus – the veterans and their families love seeing the Sussexes and they feel very connected to and supported by Harry and Meghan. We saw that in Heart of Invictus too – as they were organizing the games in The Hague, everyone involved was like “is Meghan going to be there? Is Harry coming?”
What else? Harry was asked to sign a copy of Spare, but he waved it off and told the person to find him later and he would sign. They’re saying that this was some kind of message to King Charles, that Harry secretly wants to come back to the UK and be a doormat! I think Harry just didn’t want to sign anything on camera, and he probably wondered if that person was a tabloid plant.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
