Prince Harry shared a playful moment with Team Australia at the Invictus Games in Vancouver, carrying on a lighthearted tradition between the prince and the spirited squad.
In a video shared on Meghan Markle’s Instagram Stories, Harry reacts to receiving a very cheeky gift — Speedo, also known as “budgie smugglers” in Australia.
“And Team Australia, you’ve done it again!” the Duchess of Sussex, 43, wrote, highlighting the fun exchange.
Upon receiving the tiny swimsuit, the Duke of Sussex, 40 couldn’t help but laugh, exclaiming, “So inappropriate! I love it. Thank you so much.”
The moment echoed a past Invictus Games encounter, when an Australian athlete humorously requested Harry’s autograph on a pair of Speedos while at the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney.
At the time, Harry joked he would sign them—if the athlete wore them on his head! However, as per royal protocol, the prince had to decline signing personal items.
This year, though, Team Australia ensured Harry got his own souvenir, gifting him a fresh pair.
The Invictus Games, founded by Prince Harry in 2014, celebrate the resilience and determination of wounded and recovering service members from around the world, featuring sports like wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, and indoor rowing.
Following cycles in London (2014), Orlando (2016), Toronto (2017) and Sydney (2018), the Hague (when COVID-19 pushed the event back to 2022) and Düsseldorf (2023), the current cycle in Canada is the first time the sports tournament has returned to a previous host country.
The Vancouver-Whistler Games will also mark a new chapter for the competition, as winter sports — including alpine skiing, snowboarding, curling and skeleton — will be included for the first time.
During the opening ceremony on Feb. 8, Harry gave an impassioned speech to the crowd, telling the athlete: “Over the past decade, I’ve lost count of the times that we’ve heard you tell us that the Invictus Games ‘saved you.’ Respectfully, I disagree. Invictus didn’t save you. You saved yourself.”
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“It was you who pushed through the doubt and despair. You who summited your own mountain and brought us along with you. It was you who kept going even when you didn’t think you had any more to give. We didn’t do that. You did,” he added. “The Games simply reveal what is already within you. That scarcest — and most precious — of the world’s resources: character. A spirit of fortitude and perseverance that can never be defeated.”
“That is the magic of the Invictus Games.”
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