Let the games begin!
Prince Harry, who just welcomed his second child, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, with his wife Meghan Markle on June 4 and is currently on paternity leave from the couple's Archewell Foundation, shared big news for a charity event close to his heart. In a video posted to the Invictus Games Instagram account, the royal teased, "It's time to spread the news. Something big is coming to Germany."
That "something big" is the 2023 Invictus Games, which will be held in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Harry founded the Invictus Games, a sports competition for sick and injured veterans, in 2014. He was inspired to spearhead the project due to his own background in the military as well as a 2013 visit to the Warrior Games, which is the United States' competition for wounded servicepeople.
The last year has been a challenging one for the Invictus Games. In March 2020, Harry announced that the 2020 event would be postponed to the following year after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. However, due to the continued effects of the pandemic, the 2021 games were also delayed. The next Invictus Games will kick off in 2022 in the Netherlands.
Back in April, Harry and Meghan announced that their first project under their new Netflix deal with the Archewell Foundation would be about the Invictus Games. Titled Heart of Invictus, it will focus on the 2022 games in the Netherlands.
"Since the very first Invictus Games back in 2014, we knew that each competitor would contribute in their own exceptional way to a mosaic of resilience, determination, and resolve. This series will give communities around the world a window into the moving and uplifting stories of these competitors on their path to the Netherlands next year," Harry said in a statement at the time. "As Archewell Productions' first series with Netflix, in partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation, I couldn't be more excited for the journey ahead or prouder of the Invictus community for continuously inspiring global healing, human potential and continued service."
While Harry may be focused on baby Lili and his family right now, it's sweet to know that the Invictus Games remain undeniably close to his heart.