Prince Harry and Meghan Markle release new statement ahead of Canada trip

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have shared a new statement, just days before travelling to Canada for the upcoming Invictus Games.

Taking to their Archewell Foundation website, Prince Harry and Meghan marked the start of Black History Month, which is commemorated throughout February in the US and Canada, and in October in the UK.

“At The Archewell Foundation, we celebrate the rich culture and contributions of those who have come before us throughout history. As we mark Black History Month, we encourage everyone to learn and reflect on the contributions of leaders, activists, and changemakers who have inspired progress.

“Taking the time to appreciate stories, art, history, and culture not only honours the communities that have built these spaces, but also contributes to our collective wellbeing.”

Harry and Meghan and their Archewell Foundation team shared a list of resources for people to “engage with both this month and always”.

Organisations included are digital gallery The Kinsey African American Art & History Collection, the California African American Museum in Los Angeles, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. and The Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial & Educational Center in New York.  

Last year, Harry and Meghan and their team visited an exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center called ‘This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement’.

And in 2022, the Duchess contributed to an op-ed for Black History Month, as she spoke to Anita Hill, professor at Brandeis University, about Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic nomination to the Supreme Court that year.

“The civil rights history of tomorrow is being written today,” Meghan said. “Judge Jackson’s nomination has opened new ground for women’s representation at the highest level of a judicial system that for too long has tilted against the very community she hails from.”

She added: “For the millions of young women who will rightfully find inspiration from this moment, let’s remind ourselves that Black achievement is something that exists not just today or yesterday, and not just in moments of celebration, but as a fabric woven into the entire chronicle of the American story.”

The Sussexes’ message comes just days before Prince Harry’s Invictus Games kicks off in Vancouver and Whistler on 8 February.

It has not been confirmed whether the Duchess will join her husband in Canada, but Meghan travelled with Harry to the training camp to mark the one-year countdown to the Games in 2024. 

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She has also attended every Invictus Games tournament since Toronto in 2017 – including Sydney in 2018, the Hague in 2022 and Dusseldorf in 2023.

The international multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick military service personnel was launched by Harry in 2014, with the first Invictus Games taking place in London.

The next tournament after Vancouver and Whistler will be held in Birmingham in the UK in 2027.