Prince Harry attended the Invictus Orlando UK team trials

Prince Harry attended the Invictus Orlando UK team trials

Prince Harry was the first young royal to make an official public appearance in 2016 when he attended the first day of the UK team trials for the Invictus Games Orlando yesterday, January 29, at the University of Bath.

Harry with Invictus Orlando hopefuls
[Kensington Palace @KensingtonRoyal]

Harry spent just under two hours meeting the athletes and watching them compete in track and field and on an indoor tennis court.

The trials are being hosted at the university for three days and will see wounded, injured, and sick military personnel and veterans compete across 10 sports for one of the 100 places available on the UK team. The trials are being run by Help for Heroes with support from the Ministry of Defence and the Royal British Legion.

The 2016 Invictus Games Orlando are being held May 8-12 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.

In case you needed an extra reason to swoon over Harry, he helped wheelchair athlete Anna Pollock (pictured above) when the wind tipped over her wheelchair. Anna said:

    “I wanted a picture and I thought, if I don’t do it now I never will, so I went to get a picture [with Harry]. Afterwards I was putting my gloves on when the wind took me over.
    “Harry said to me ‘What did you do that for?’
    “I said: ‘To show you how not to do that,’ and I said ‘Are you sure you had nothing to do with it?’
    “He was so lovely to help me and he gives so much. He makes all the lads and the lasses feel important.”

[Express]

Harry giving speech at Invictus Orlando trials
[Kensington Palace @KensingtonRoyal]

Harry gave a speech to the competitors, he said in part:

    “The excitement is building not just here but also across the pond. You will be unbelievably amazed by the amount of support there is out there for you. You are now or will be ambassadors for the Invictus shirt, and the Invictus spirit. Wherever you go and whatever you do, spread the word. The most important thing is enjoy it, make the most of it and spread the word and appreciate how much support there is out there.”

Here is a video with part of his speech. No notes.

Harry also spoke about Henry Worsley, who recently died during a solo trek across Antarctica. Harry said: “He put his life on the line. This person was raising funds for the Endeavour Fund so people like you can do amazing things and rediscover yourselves. Thanks to him we have huge options for more and more people.”

Prince William released a statement after the passing of Worsley:

    “Harry and I are very sad to hear of the loss of Henry Worsley. He was a man who showed great courage and determination and we are incredibly proud to be associated with him. Even after retiring from the Army, Henry continued to show selfless commitment to his fellow servicemen and women, by undertaking this extraordinary Shackleton solo expedition on their behalf. We have lost a friend, but he will remain a source of inspiration to us all, especially those who will benefit from his support to the Endeavour Fund. We will now make sure that his family receive the support they need at this terribly difficult time.”

[Express]

By the way, someone wants you to think Harry hit it with a blonde, American PR woman named Juliette Labelle over the New Year in LA.

From The Sun:

    “Harry, 31, met Juliette, 22, on a private trip to her home city Los Angeles over New Year and they have kept in touch.
    “A source said: ‘The Prince enjoyed hanging out with Juliette. She’s very much his type and they hooked up. She’s blonde, cool and well-connected. She’s also fun, confident and doesn’t mind showing off how sexy she is. And she has that boho free spirit he likes.’ […]
    “[Juliette] claimed to The Sun: ‘I don’t know Prince Harry.'”

LOL! You can see some of her social media photos over at the Daily Mail.

There are no other events currently on Harry’s calendar. Kate still only has the one on February 7 and the “guest editing” gig in mid-February. William has nothing on his calendar yet.

Here’s a bit of a video of Harry’s event:


40 thoughts on “Prince Harry attended the Invictus Orlando UK team trials

  1. I’m happy to see him out and involved in his Invictus Games. I can’t imagine him not helping the young lady back into her chair, he seems to be quite the gentleman.

    I think these games are going to turn into a big event that lasts for quite some time.

    As for the supposed latest hook-up. Ugh, I’m so sick of these “Is she the ONE!” stories every time Harry brushes against someone. Based on her Instagram pictures and comments, I really don’t see this girl giving up her lifestyle to become a member of the BRF. Not to mention the one where she said she had a first with someone else at the table being prettier than her…wow.

    1. It’s great to see Harry continue to be involved and support the Invictus Games. My only concern is that they happen every year – or will starting this year. I kind of think spacing them out to be every two years would work better, but that’s just my opinion.

      I’m still shocked that Harry and his team don’t make these women sign NDAs or something. Maybe they do and the women just break them. Or he’s totally cool with this type of press. But if he wants his image to be more focused on his work, then these types of stories need to be shut down by his people. I mean, Vegas never would have happened if his team had been more on top of things and taken everyone’s cell phones and made everyone sign NDAs before partying with him.

      1. I am disappointed that you didn’t talk about Harry’s fashion, KMR. The most important part of every appearance, doncha know. 😉

        1. Lol. “Harry wore dark jeans and an Invictus Games puffy jacket. No id on the jeans – still waiting on the high def photos of Harry’s butt – and”… holy crap that jacket cost £80.00. Wow.

          1. Speaking of the jacket and fashion, I think whoever came up with the Invictus Games logo should get an award. I think it’s very well done.

      2. KMR, you’re right about the Invictus Games being every two years instead of yearly. It would give the athletes more time to prepare and not be, I imagine, a huge amount of work to secure a venue and funding.

        As for Harry’s staff not whipping out the NDA’s, maybe they suggested that and Harry doesn’t want it because he wants to be more laid back. Unfortunately, it’s not working and personally I would be more than annoyed to see these stories constantly if I were him. He knows the truth, but still.

    2. I love that Harry asked her, “What did you do that for?” Nice sense of humor and probably made her laugh.

  2. Harry is the one! Just love him. The Invictus Games are his special interest and he certainly appears to have a special place in his heart for those who want to participate. His helping the young woman with such a kind and fun demeanor is something that makes me adore him even more. Don’t worry, Rhiannon, I won’t step in on your territory!

    It was sad to hear of the loss of Henry Worsely, whose courage and determination to help other veterans is so admirable. Pardon my ignorance, but is it a matter of protocol that the formal statement came from William and not Harry? Harry’s words to the men and women about Worsely were meaningful, but why wasn’t he given the opportunity to make more of a formal statement? I guess I know the answer, but I would have liked it better to have Harry give a more formal statement.

    In all the photos, H not only looks so approachable, so fun, but so eager to let those who participated in the trials know of his admiration for their efforts. He is just such a kind and caring soul.

    As for Juliette? Love her name, but not so infatuated with her! Ugh. I agree with you, Lisa. All this “Is she the one?” stuff is awful. And, she does not seem to be the type of woman we want for Harry.

    Rhiannon, don’t worry. She’s a light-weight! You are the real deal!

    1. William is Patron of the Shackleton Solo Expedition which Worsley was doing when he died, so it makes sense that William would be the one to make a statement.

  3. We don’t know if the Invictus Games will be annual or biannual after this year. Harry mentioned there will be stuff done with the IG next year, but from what I gathered that didn’t mean actual games. Australia is in the process to apply for the 2018 games.

    about the girl: I hate when people insinuate that it was the girl who wants the attention. It doesn’t seem like that to me. An obsessed fan of Harry who stalks his every step of his social media brought her name up first on a blog as they are following each other. Emily Andrews waited for the right moment (the day after his first engagement) to publish the story. The girl was clever enough to say she doesn’t know him, as there is no definite proof.
    Just leave the girl alone, until now all we have is a story clearly taken from a blog and pics taken from her social media. If she acts on it more, I’ll be the first one to call her out, but doing so now is just lame.

    1. From what I remember, when the Invictus Foundation announced they were going to do more Games after the 2014 ones, they said they were taking 2015 off to allow hosts to gather enough money or something like that, and that they were going to do Games in Spring 2016 and Summer 2017. Then, yes, Australia announced they were going to bid for the 2018 Games. I don’t know for sure if they are doing Games every year, but that’s what they said at first.

      I didn’t know about the blog being the one that first talked about this woman. Shame that the press picked up on it the day after Harry’s first appearance of the year. I stand by my comment, though, that Harry should go with NDAs, because that Vegas incident was just stupidity and a failure on his team’s part. I’m still shocked that those bodyguards were 1) dumb enough to allow people to keep their cell phones and 2) allowed to keep their jobs after that debacle.

      1. Prince Henry!

        Whatever plans he has for IG, he the Games is already cemented in history and dear to the military and families the world over.. A true Prince!

    2. I went and looked up this woman’s social media and her Instagram account is now set to private. So maybe she really doesn’t want the attention she is receiving. I wonder if women who have been exposed in the press like this can sue the papers who wrote about them. I mean, if she’s getting unwanted attention that she would not have received otherwise if the press hadn’t put her name and photos out there then maybe she can sue them for damages due to stress or something?

      1. Well she was approached by the Sun and gave a IMO good statement. Maybe she could sue for using her pictures unauthorized. But that would very likely draw more attention than just setting her account private and hoping it will fade away soon.

        1. Ugh – British tabloid newspapers!
          People in the UK know to be wary of reporters from papers like The Sun etc as they are good at twist events to make a story, or create a story out of thin air.

  4. I just loving seeing Harry interacting with veterans, he seems like one of the blokes. I echo the sentiments here and hope that the games will be held every other year, it would help build the anticipation and give the hosting countries the time to really put on a stellar game.

    I don’t understand why the royals spend so little time at their engagements? Harry spent just under 2 hours here, which is a lifetime compared to other engagements but still feels like he could have spent more time there. It’s not like he had another engagement to get to, so why not hang out for the day? While I still love Harry and feel that he has the potential to do something really great, I have to wonder what do he, Kate and Wills do all day?

    1. Two hours is above average for an official engagement. It likely has to do with security and media attention which is different from a private event- I remember he spent a whole day at some trials for the last games but in private and we only knew about it because of social media. This event was held at Bath University and everyone knew he was going to be there that day, I understand why he wouldn’t be there longer. Harry volunteers for the MOD 2-4 days (I’ve read every amount) a week.

      1. Thanks for that explanation, AT, regarding length of visits. The security costs would need to be carefully calculated for sure. Also, athletes need to get on and do what they came to the University of Bath to do, so making an appearance of 2 hours seems is pitched about right. Harry did a good job and while he no doubt felt nervous, found the right tone which was one of genuine interest. He can’t go wrong if he picks causes close to his experiences and heart and/or has enough humility to accept the counsel of others. I hope the IG will be a great success.

  5. So much for the saying along the lines of: “Heavy is the head…”

    Harry seems to carry the weight for the three younger royals. I wish he would rub off on W&K and pray it is never the other way around.

  6. Thanks for the post KMR.
    You can’t doubt Harry’s commitment to this project when you look at these photos.
    I’m sure Harry is doing more private work for the games as well.
    Now Rhiannon, are you ok after seeing these photos?

  7. Invictus Games: great seeing Harry so invested and involved with the games and these vets! He’s always been absolutely genuine when it comes to his charity work and I feel that, even if he didn’t have “Prince” before his name, he’d still be very much involved.

    Juliette LaBelle: For whatever reason, I call BS. IF he has met this girl, where is the proof? And why now? Because .he did his first engagement of the year? I’m glad she gave a vague but simple response rahther than ignoring (which would’ve added fuel to the fire).

    Also, I don’t like how, with EVERY interaction he has with a girl, the papers scream if she’s “THE ONE” instead of letting his work speak for itself. It makes Harry look a lot more superficial than he is and makes his engagements look cheap.

        1. Oh Kimothy! My comment was about the girl, Juliette! My sincere apologies for not making that clear. Thank you, KMR, for correcting that.

          Even though people can say whatever they want on their social media accounts, it beggars belief that someone would be so narcissistic to claim that she had the rare experience of sitting next to someone even prettier than herself. I blame the parents; come to think of it, I always blame the parents.

    1. I agree re: Juliette. Neither the Sun article nor the Daily Mail mention a source or any proof. With the amount of information that they have given, they could’ve just picked any random pretty blonde girl on instagram and said Harry is dating her…

  8. Hooray to Harry! Invictus is an awesome eat to put the spotlight on our vets. I do agree with the fact that it needs to be spaced out. However they have momentum and need to capitalize on it.

    I do feel bad for Harry when it comes to his marital status. He will marry when it’s right. Whats so wrong with being single and enjoy life. I do feel that he needs to get NDAs. There are women who will love Harry, but there may be some who date him for the wrong reasons. I am not a fan of disparaging a woman over this.

    I am planning on going to Orlando. Worst case scenario, I get another smile. Thank you for my wonderful Harry fix, KMR.

    1. Have you considered offering your skills to a local US organising committee of Invictus Games? I agree with you, and others, that a biennial games would allow breathing space for all, as well as raise funds.

      I agree, too, that Harry is a target for the woman who wants status etc by association. Hopefully, being able to observe Kate closely, any enthusiasm for her will have waned and remind him to take his time and choose very, very carefully.

      Unfortunately, the circle Harry travels in is so small: well-connected trust fund babies with no need and no will to work.

      1. I totally agree. His available dating pool is quite small. I would also think that it would be hard for an outsider to join.

        I would love to join. It would be fun, regardless of Harry.

        1. Yes, it would be hard to be accepted into such a tight circle. They’ve probably known each other since attending primary school, so a level of trust and familiarity has been built up there over 25 years or so. When it comes down to it, we all tend to travel in circles that seem comfortable to us. Not to tar all children of wealthy people as idle, but – depending on circumstances and family philosophies – they do not necessarily have the financial burdens that challenge the rest of us. I wonder if Kate and Pippa’s lack of work was their family’s mimicking of what the adult children of titled and wealthy folk do?

          I’m sure the IG folk will need volunteers for the actual event; being part of an ongoing steering committee would be a fantastic opportunity. You’re certainly in the right place!

  9. Perhaps he’s been approached about the NDAs and refused. It is very rockstar, hundreds of groupies a year-esque, and he may find it dehumanizing.

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