Harry says Invictus Games school launch had ‘profound impact’ on him

Britain’s Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, talks with students from Shaughnessy Elementary School during an event to launch the Invictus Games school program, in Vancouver (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP) - (AP)

The Duke of Sussex has spoken of the “profound impact” launching a schools programme ahead of the Invictus Games had on him at an event in Canada.

Harry travelled solo to launch the programme for the 2025 event, which is due to be held in Vancouver and Whistler in February.

He marked the countdown by joining students at Seaforth Armoury, a historic military facility, where he launched an online programme to introduce the Invictus Games into schools.

“Seeing them learn about the Invictus Games has had a profound impact on me because this is where Invictus starts to go even wider outside of the Invictus community, into schools in Canada and hopefully around the world,” he said.

Harry, a former British Army captain, launched the Invictus Games in 2014 as an international sports tournament for injured and wounded service personnel and returned veterans.

Addressing the crowd, the Duke also spoke of his emotions in seeing returned service personnel at the Games’ opening ceremony.

“You need to understand what that means to them because that can be a life-altering moment,” he said.

“There’s resilience that has got them there. There’s teamwork that has managed to get them to the starting line, and there’s courage in getting them to that point.

The Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, presented by ATCO and Boeing, is pleased to launch its School Program at Seaforth Armoury, one of Vancouver’s most historic military facilities, with 81 days to go until the #InvictusGames.

Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, Founding… pic.twitter.com/ckQE52n776

— Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 (@InvictusGames25) November 19, 2024

“For most of them, for some of them, it’s very hard to walk into a busy room, and here they are walking into a stadium of tens of thousands of people.”

In February, the Duke and Duchess officially kicked off the countdown to the Winter Invictus Games 2025 at a special event in Whistler.

Next year’s games will feature the debut of winter sports including Nordic Skiing, wheelchair curling, snowboarding and alpine skiing.