Harry is comforted by Meghan as he takes his seat for the start of the Invictus Games

This is the emotional moment Meghan Markle grasped Prince Harry’s hand as he dropped his head during a welcome event on Friday. 

The Duke of Sussex was comforted by his wife as he took his seat at the US Embassy in The Hague ahead of the start of the Invictus Games in the Netherlands.

The event was supposed to be yellow carpet, but Harry and Meghan decided to attend in the last 48 hours, a source told MailOnline. 

They were granted ‘VVIP’ status by the local authorities, affording them top-level local protection – which will be seen as an attempt to justify their non-attendance at Prince Philip’s memorial service at Westminster Abbey last month over security concerns, after Harry’s tax-payer funded protection was stripped when he quit the UK.

It comes after critics accused the couple of ‘cashing in’ on the Games by allowing Netflix, with whom they have signed a $100million deal, into private meetings.

Some fear they are also ‘exploiting the Queen’, saying their trip this week for top-secret ‘clear the air talks’ with the monarch and Prince Charles was to please their American producers.   

A documentary about the Games – entitled Heart of Invictus – will be the first documentary series to be co-produced by Netflix with the Duke and Duchess’s own company, Archewell Productions. 

After their arrival to the Games, Harry and Meghan were seen hanging out with the Ukrainian team at the tournament – which began in 2014 and is held each year for injured military veterans, although it has experienced a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Harry donned a smart navy blue suit with an open-collared white shirt while Meghan cut a chic figure with a bright white pantsuit, matching handbag and gold accessories.    

The event was supposed to be yellow carpet, but Harry and Meghan decided to attend in the last 48 hours

After their arrival to the Games, Harry and Meghan were seen hanging out with the Ukrainian team at the tournament

Beaming Meghan drew gasps of admiration from competitors who had waited over an hour in the evening sunshine for her appearance.

‘She looks wonderful and it’s so nice to see her smiling so much,’ said one of the family members at the event.  

The couple were clapped and cheered as they walked to the reception for competitors and their families.

Harry tenderly placed his hand on Meghan’s back as they stood chatting outside the reception tent, where they were joined by the Mayor of The Hague Jan Van Zanen. 

The couple were clapped and cheered as they walked to the reception for competitors and their families

Beaming Meghan drew gasps of admiration from competitors who had waited over an hour in the evening sunshine for her appearance

As Harry guided his wife inside the marquee a huge cheer and clapping could erupted from inside. 

Meghan flashed a dazzling smile and waved when she was cheered by members of Team USA.

Inside the reception the couple were guided to a stage making their best through the cheering guests, before Harry gave a short speech welcoming the competitors as Meghan looked on. 

One member of the Great Britain team said: ‘It was nice to see Harry and Meghan, but there were so many people inside it was hard to hear the speech.’ 

The couple were making their first appearance outside the US since quitting the royal family in an acrimonious split in 2020.