Invictus Games Athletes and More Share Heartwarming Interactions With Prince Harry

It’s been over a decade since Prince Harry first launched the Invictus Games— and he’s a huge part of the reason why the event is still going strong.

Since the first Invictus Games in March 2014, the celebration involving wounded military service members has only continued to grow. This year, 550 people from more than 20 countries gathered in Vancouver, Canada, to participate in sport and enjoy each other’s company from February 8 to 16.

While Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have put in plenty of work speaking about and promoting the Games, something that can easily get lost is how dedicated the pair really are to each year’s event. Us Weekly spoke to several of the 2025 participants about their experiences meeting Harry and Meghan, and it’s clear that the duke’s passion is a big part of what makes the Invictus Games so special.

Invictus Athlete Who Served With Prince Harry Shares What the Duke Was Like

Keep reading for exclusive quotes from Invictus Games athletes and more about working alongside Prince Harry.

Dominic Reed

Reed, who serves as the CEO of the Invictus Games, has worked with Harry for over a decade. “I’ve worked with the duke for nearly 12 years now. And what I was saying to people who ask, because people obviously do ask, [is that] his commitment is unparalleled,” he told Us. “I think what people need to understand is that it was his vision. He does drive that vision. I can’t remember how many board meetings I’ve been to, not only through the 2014 delivery process, but since then, I can think of one or two that he’s missed. He’s always been there.”

These days, Harry might attend more of those meetings by way of video, but that hasn’t changed his determination and his dedication to the event. “He once described [The Invictus Games] to being his second child,” Reed added. “This was before [his daughter] Lilibet was born, and then he quickly corrected himself, ‘my first child.’ It’s a very important thing to him.”

“I think we’re all in this together,” Reed said. “You know, I made some remarks about my journey, and I wasn’t injured. I wasn’t deployed in combat, but this has been extraordinary for all of us. So, you know, he’s 100 percent committed. And he’s very good at work.”

Joshua Shannon

Shannon has participated in several Invictus Games sports including snowboarding, seated volleyball, wheelchair basketball, rowing and swimming, and described his experience meeting Harry and Meghan Markle as “humbling.”

“He’s a very kind gentleman,” said Shannon, a former member of the US Air Force. “[Harry] took a lot of time out of his life to come and spend a lot of time with us. I sat with them yesterday at the swimming pool.”

The royal couple “came and took some pictures with us [and] asked us how we’re doing,” Shannon told Us. “We had a meeting here at the DCC where he sat down with us, him and Meghan … It was nice. It was nice, you know, he was humbling.”

Prince Harry Hugs Canada’s Justin Trudeau at 2025 Invictus Games

James Wren

The UK military member, who participated in indoor rowing, alpine skier, novice skeleton and wheelchair basketball at the Games, gushed over the “fantastic” event. He added that Harry’s ability to bring “nations together” and allow people to “put politics aside for 10 days” is “just a fantastic, fantastic opportunity.”

British Royal Legion member Wren, who suffers from PTSD after a training exercise went wrong in 2020 and he was dragged underneath a warship, added that “anyone who’s a wounded, injured, sick veteran or serving needs to get on this to aid their recovery.”

Before connecting with Harry at the 2025 Games in Canada, Wren met with the prince at the 2023 event in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Mike Murphy

Murphy, who was injured while deployed in Greece in 2018, told Us this year’s Invictus Games gave him his second opportunity to spend time with the Duke of Sussex — but he almost missed the chance entirely.

Murphy’s fiancée was recording him snowboarding and “we were on the side of the mountain, and somebody comes up, there’s a bunch of people pull over, ‘Hey, you guys OK?’” he recalled. “And we were just like, ‘Yeah, we’re focusing on our video, trying to get it fine-tuned.’ And then we almost blew this person off, and then I can’t see, so they kind of tapped me and whispered. They said, ‘Hey, it’s Prince Harry.’”

“And the cool part about the interactions is, he’s not just here for publicity,” Murphy continued. “He’s a down-to-earth, genuine person. So he’s sitting there making jokes [like], ‘You know why blind people don’t snowboard, right? It’s super difficult and terrifying.’ I was like, ‘Well, I’m here to break barriers, sir.’ So we kind of went back and forth, talked a little bit with him and his crew, went down the mountain, and then a couple runs later, right before I ended up going up to race, he came up behind me. He said, ‘Wow, you really do know how to snowboard. That was impressive. It was good to watch you.’”

Murphy also appreciated that Harry has plenty of military experience. “I think personally, from the military aspect of what makes me feel the most normal is people talking crap to you back and forth, just getting that friendship and having him share that moment to where he’s just one of the guys, it was super cool,” he added. “And then just having him out there, it was kind of just … that was definitely the highlight I’m getting out there. Snowboarding was cool. But having them, knowing the power that he has on everybody here is just huge.”

James Phelps

A first-time Invictus Games participant, Phelps met Harry when they were both deployed in 2012, according to his wife, Cynthia. “James and him have deployed together before, and their base was attacked while they were both there and so we have a high regard for him. I know James does, because there were two Marines that were killed in action at that attack and so knowing that shortly afterwards, the Invictus Foundation — it was, like, two years after that attack that the Invictus Games were founded — that doesn’t fall by the wayside,” Cynthia said.

James told Us he appreciates how Harry “truly understands” what his fellow veterans have experienced. “He’s been through situations like most of us here have, so just the genuine nature of him putting this together for people who have been through similar things is [special],” he explained.

Cynthia added, “We know he was putting this together, right, but he is the front man on this and every time that he and Meghan, both, like, have come together, I mean, they are hand in hand, like, you know, cheek to cheek, just telling us how much it means to them and like, I know that they weren’t, you know, the people that fully put this together, that there’s a huge team behind them as well, but just every time we’ve had any contact with them, it is so genuine.”

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Share Cute Jumbotron Moment at Invictus Games

Jarek Neczypor

The athlete, who competed in the biathlon, wheelchair rugby and swimming, said he was part of a group who had breakfast with both Harry and Meghan. “And it was absolutely incredible,” he told Us. “He was incredibly funny and down to earth and very articulate, and Meghan was extremely polite, and they asked us what sports we were doing. They talked to us.”

Harry popped up again while Neczypor was competing in the wheelchair rugby event. “He gave us all high fives, congratulations, hugs. And he remembered us. And, ‘Oh, great job. I knew you were worried about this. Congrats on the bronze. You did such an amazing job. I loved this play that you did.’ It was real personal,” he added.

Harry was also “out there cheering just as hard for every single country, and that’s what makes this special. Prince Harry is an astounding figure for not only serving in the military, but after his experience, he took what he saw and made these Games,” Neczypor explained. “He’s a singular figure in that way, no one else. There’s a lot of people who serve in the military, a lot of people who have the opportunities to do amazing things, but without him this wouldn’t exist.”

Ashley Christman

An active member of the US military who was diagnosed with an inoperable cancer, Christman described Harry and Meghan as “incredible human beings, full of love, full of generosity, full of compassion.”

“They have taken the time on multiple occasions to visit with us and come out and see us compete, and every time, they’ve been very approachable and just warming, you know, it just feels like they are also part of that family,” Christman said. “And he has a history of service as well, which is what inspired him to hold true to his brothers and sisters in arms with this organization and this opportunity with the Invictus Games, and it still feels like he is just one of my brothers, brothers in arms.”

Reporting by Justin Ravitz

​ 

​Us Weekly

​Read More