Prince Harry has vowed to continue his inspirational Invictus Games in an interview on the last day of the competition in Canada, saying: ‘The sky’s the limit.’
The 33-year-old royal, once again without his girlfriend, Meghan Markle, was attending the wheelchair basketball finals at the Mattamy Athletics Centre in Toronto.
Sitting with a small group of aides, the prince clapped and cheered as the USA played Denmark.
Shortly before going in to watch the play, the prince spoke to Dome, the host broadcaster for the games, alongside Team Canada competitor Mike Trauner.
Prince Harry has vowed to continue his inspirational Invictus Games in an interview on the last day of the competition in Canada, saying: ‘The sky’s the limit’
The royal, once again without his girlfriend, Meghan Markle, was attending the wheelchair basketball finals at the Mattamy Athletics Centre in Toronto
Sitting with a small group of aides, the prince clapped and cheered as the USA played Denmark
Asked about how long he thought the competition for injured servicemen and women – founded in 2014 – would continue for, he said: ‘Look, I think I’ve said many, many times before that Invictus has got a shelf life because as other people have said the conveyor belt of wounded coming back from war has ceased to a certain a certain extent especially for these 70 nations.
‘But for us at the Invictus foundation it happens every year: you think we’ve made a decision and then you come to the games and boom!
‘And it’s like, you know what we have a social responsibility to continue this for a long as it’s needed. Which is what I’ve always said.
We’ll have to wait and see. The world needs Invictus, these guys need Invictus, I need Invictus, we all need our fix. We all need to be inspired, we all need to be encouraged and reminded of what duty and service is all about.
‘It would be silly of us to close it out.’
The competition was founded by Prince Harry in 2014 for injured servicemen and women
Asked about how long he thought the competiion would continue for, he said: ‘Look, I think I’ve said many, many times before that Invictus has got a shelf life because as other people have said the conveyor belt of wounded coming back from war has ceased to a certain a certain extent especially for these 70 nations’
The royal said that he envisaged the ‘shape and form’ of the game changing somewhat – this year 550 competitors from 17 countries have taken part in 12 different adaptive sports ranging from swimming to indoor rowing – but insisted that the ‘future looks bright’.
The royal seemed as much of a fan of anybody else as he clapped and cheered at the wheelchair basketball finals on Saturday
The royal said that he envisaged the ‘shape and form’ of the game changing somewhat – this year 550 competitors from 17 countries have taken part in 12 different adaptive sports ranging from swimming to indoor rowing – but insisted that the ‘future looks bright’.
He says: ‘ It really does look very very exciting.
‘We’re not talking about two and a half, three thousand competitors. It will be a gradual increase if we can.
‘But at the same time it’s impossible to say no and it’s impossible to try and wrap something up that’s having a massive impact on changing lives.’
Vice Captain of the UK Team, Dr Jen Warren, told Mail Online of the impact the games had had on her life.
Mother-of-one and working anaesthetist Dr Warren lost the use of her legs in a skiing accident but has competed in sports as diverse as swimming, athletics and cycling.
She said: ‘Calling this a Paralympic event is just scratching the surface. There is so much more to this than that. The way this builds people is phenomenal.
‘My pregnancy wiped six years of rehab off me because of the toll it took. My injuries were in my pelvis and he pressure of the pregnancy affected me.
‘That’s why it is so important that Invictus helps everyone, not only the recently injured. Even those who have been injured a while ago can get lumps and bumps along the road.
‘Words cannot begin to describe what this has done for me as a person. I was the one who was frightened of their shadow. Last year I was frightened of everything. Look at me now!’
The Prince covered his eyes with his hands, unable to watch, during the wheelchair basketball finals
The prince was without girlfriend, Meghan Markle, but she is rumored to be making an appearance later tonight
Vice Captain of the UK Team, Dr Jen Warren (pictured, with Prince Harry on Tuesday) that the games have had a major impact on her life and said she was cheered up after the 33-year-old royal gave her a pep talk
She added: ‘I work very hard, in my day job. I am an anaesthetist and there aren’t many of us who are wheelchair users. I had had to fight so hard to get back to work. It took everything from me, I didn’t leave much time for anything else. I didn’t help that I thought I was a shadow of my former myself.
‘Everyone frowns at you, they think you are a lost patient. Like you don’t deserve to be there. I know that is partly my interpretation of how they see me but inside it is just so hard. The mental barriers of going back to work were far harder than the physical barriers to go back to work. As women we don’t give ourselves enough credit. ‘
Earlier in the week Dr Warren, who was a major in the Royal Army Medical Corps, spoke to Harry after she had the disappointment of narrowly missing out on a gold medal in her first cycling event.
The prince gave her a pep talk, however, and she went on to win gold in the same sport the next day.
Dr Warren said: ‘I was sat out the back as I’m not the kind of person to put myself forward but our physio called him over and asked him to come to speak to me. We just had a little chat, talking about the Invictus Games as whole and what it means to different people. I told him about my story and we chatted about the challenges of running the games, particularly finding the balance between people winning medals and what it means to their recovery, which is what is the real medal of the games.
‘Harry has proved himself in the military, he has done two tours of Afghanistan and there are not many royals that can say that. What’s more he has proved himself once again.
‘Harry is my hero. The amount of work he puts into these events. He talks to the competitors, he talks to the crowd, he doesn’t shut himself off or put himself on show. He is working 24/7. He works his socks off. he doesn’t just come in, say hello and then wave.
‘I was in the military, I respect the Royal Family, I respect what they represent. But this goes far beyond that. He can do nothing wrong in my eyes.
Dr Warren said: ‘Harry (pictured) has proved himself in the military, he has done two tours of Afghanistan and there are not many royals that can say that. What’s more he has proved himself once again’
She added: ”Harry (pictured) is my hero. The amount of work he puts into these events. He talks to the competitors, he talks to the crowd, he doesn’t shut himself off or put himself on show. He is working 24/7. He works his socks off. he doesn’t just come in, say hello and then wave’
Dr Warren stressed that the legacy of the games was more far-reaching than anyone could imagine in bringing nations, cultures and people with so much still to offer together (Pictured, Prince Harry watches the Invictus Games Wheelchair Basketball finals)
‘I was just blown away by how he uses all of his strength and all of his toolkit to give back to the community. ‘
Dr Warren stressed that the legacy of the games was more far-reaching than anyone could imagine in bringing nations, cultures and people with so much still to offer together.
She said: ‘It’s great to see here at the Invictus Games teams from all over the work. In a war situation we might be fighting each other but this is a community without borders and having a great relationship. We are competing against each other but the camaraderie is amazing and that trickles down from Harry.
‘He makes such an effort to talk to every body, he goes out of his way to make sure there is no-one left untouched.’