As I mentioned, I was a little bit surprised that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Vancouver on Friday afternoon, just a few hours before a sizeable Invictus Games welcome reception. There are tons of receptions, breakfasts, lunches, meetings, side-meetings and meet-and-greets in and around the games, and I would have thought that Harry especially would want to be there a few days in advance. Instead, it looks like Harry and Meghan came together on Friday and they haven’t stopped going since they arrived. Friday night was the welcome reception. Saturday morning, they went to Team USA’s breakfast event. Meghan wore a sleeveless Rag & Bone turtleneck sweater and trousers. She looked rich – this is the “quiet luxury” look I enjoy. Town & Country did a lovely piece about the breakfast:
For Team USA, the 2025 Invictus Games kicked off with a major surprise: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle joined the competitors for breakfast.
The Invictus experience is only just beginning, but retired Master Sgt. Blanca Baquero-Cruz is already calling the Games a success after meeting the Sussexes. “Prince Harry has been absolutely amazing,” she tells T&C. “His support for wounded warriors, for the visibly wounded and the invisibly wounded or ill—just getting us back outside, getting us to conquer our anxieties and challenges. He is a champion for us. Getting to finally meet him was really special.”
The Sussexes are in British Columbia for the Games, and their schedule is jam-packed as they try and meet as many competitors and families as possible. But their day started with Team USA—a choice that didn’t go unnoticed by the Americans.
“We didn’t know for sure that they were going to be a breakfast with us this morning,” Team USA participant Major Ashley Christman tells T&C. “It was a really intimate connection; it was really nice to have them come around and really engage and show that they are connected to our stories and our journeys and give that individual support.”
Moses Debraska, another competitor, adds, “They wanted to be there—I sensed and felt that. That meant a lot [in] the brief interaction we had with them. I just look forward to creating and cultivating that.”
“I can only imagine the challenge” for Harry and Meghan deciding who to root for during the games, Christman says—referencing the Sussexes’ current home in California, Harry’s roots in the UK, and Meghan’s time living in Canada. “They are just global supporters of love. We’re happy to have them at our breakfast first,” she adds, nodding at the competitiveness of the Americans. “That’s our shout out, to Team USA, which is great. Really what it comes down to is all of the teams, all of the 23 countries here—we might be from different countries, but we’re not from different combats, right? We all served in the global war on terrorism together, side by side, so really we’re one team, one family.”
Christman, a decorated Marine who is battling advanced stage 4 neuroendocrine cancer thought to be caused by toxic exposure during her deployments, continues, “That’s kind of the crux of the games—the coming together—is remembering that we are still brothers and sisters in arms, standing side by side. [Prince Harry] is the foundation of togetherness, for us, and that fighting spirit.”
Her teammate Christopher Byrde, who served in Afghanistan in 2008, echoes that sentiment. As a fellow veteran, meeting Prince Harry meant a lot. “I grew up in Alaska, so I didn’t really know much about royals or any of that kind of thing. But I remember hearing about him in Afghanistan when I was there and about what he did, and I always respected that and then he did the Invictus Games thing, respected that.” He adds, “I mentioned to him that I was in Afghanistan in 2008 as well—we got a cheeky selfie.”
I like how much of this was about what it meant to the veterans to meet Harry. Meghan was there too, and she posed for photos with the competitors and she charmed them as well, but the Invictus community – the veteran community – really respects the hell out of Harry.
So, after the breakfast, the Sussexes probably did ten other meet-and-greets and then they obviously attended the Opening Ceremony on Saturday. Then, after that, they went to the Canucks game on Saturday night and Harry dropped the puck. Meghan wore another repeat – a Givenchy coat she’s had since at least 2018.
Celebrating the start of the @InvictusGames25!
Today we welcomed Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, joined by Invictus Games competitors, to @RogersArena ahead of the games taking place in Vancouver and Whistler over the next 8 days. pic.twitter.com/r6HgoeQBXd
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 9, 2025
Prince Harry is in the house for the Canucks game today!
: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/WAdoUIAiZI
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) February 9, 2025
Photos courtesy of Meghan’s Instagram.
