The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Canada on Friday, just a few hours before they made their first appearance for the Invictus Games. They attended an evening reception for competitors and all of the support staff, and Meghan gave a lovely introduction to her husband. There are very few official photos from Friday’s event, but fans did ID Meghan’s dress as a chocolate-brown look from A.L.C. She looked gorgeous and I know the haters are big mad about it. People Mag had some coverage of their speeches on Friday:
Meghan Markle gave a heartfelt introduction to Prince Harry just hours after the couple touched down in Canada for the 2025 Invictus Games. On Friday, Feb. 7, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, took the stage to give an unscripted speech in Vancouver, Canada, at a welcome reception for athletes and their friends and families.
“I was not planning on speaking tonight,” Meghan remarked, wearing the A.L.C. “Willow” sleeveless midi dress in chocolate plum. “We just arrived a couple of hours ago, and I touched Canadian soil, and I went, ‘Oh, feels like home.’
“We are so excited and we also recognize most of you are probably so exhausted from how much travel you’ve done, how much adrenaline you have pumping, how excited you are for what is going to be one of the most outstanding, memorable, unforgettable and connected weeks probably for you and for your families,” she continued.
“We are just thrilled to be here and I would be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to introduce someone who means a lot to me and I know means quite a lot to all of you,” she added, speaking of Prince Harry. “You will see him throughout this week. You will see him at the games, you will see him probably curling with you and cheering you on at wheelchair basketball.”
The Duchess joked that Harry would take part in sports like skeleton sledding — “the thing I would never do” — to show his support for the athletes, all while building excitement for the days ahead. She revealed that in the period leading up to the event, he had been juggling being an actively involved father to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, while eagerly preparing for the sports tournament.
“With families…the big rush in the morning and getting ready for school and packing the lunchboxes and making breakfast and my husband is in all of that with all of us,” Meghan said. “And then he’ll be on his phone, and Archie will say, ‘Papa, why are you on your phone?’ and he’s like, ‘Because it’s Invictus, I’m getting ready for Invictus.’”
“It means so much to him,” Meghan shared. “You are his family, just as we are his family. And I hope you recognize how much of his heart he has poured into every single beat that has gotten all of you to this week that is going to be spectacular. I need you to know that, I need you to know how much it means to him and how much each of you mean to him. It is my entire pleasure and complete honor to introduce to the stage my husband, the father of our very sweet, excited children who are cheering you on from California, Prince Harry, founder of the Invictus Games, the Duke of Sussex.”
LMAO, Meghan is so good at this. I doubt she even had any notes. Like, when you look at her and listen to her public speeches, don’t you understand why those awful people wanted her to go? She was making them look bad, and they were sick with jealousy. She’s still making them look bad and they’re still sick with jealousy. Additionally, before the Sussexes’ arrival in Canada, People Magazine had a preview and confirmation that Meghan and Harry were traveling together for the games. People quoted “an onlooker in Vancouver,” who said: “I think it’s great that she’s coming. There is a lot of speculation about them and their marriage, but this reinforces one thing to me, at least — there is no separation. It looks like they present a united front when it comes to matters they both care about.”
Ah🥹when she introduces him🥹 “Father of our 2 sweetest excited children, my husband & FOUNDER Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex!
I Love me some passive Queen . Video Creidt: Resillient_one . pic.twitter.com/gAhqRvHhQ6
— SK
(@Rimmesfk) February 8, 2025
What a beautiful welcome to the competitors and their loved ones at the Family and Friends Reception at the Nation’s Home for #IG25!
It’s tradition for all the Participating Nations to come together before the Opening Ceremony of the #InvictusGames and share a meal, laugh and… pic.twitter.com/AZi7gAlPdo
— Invictus Games Foundation
(@WeAreInvictus) February 8, 2025
Header photo courtesy of Invictus’s social media.