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WHISTLER, B.C. — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, took part in the Whistler, B.C., welcome ceremony for the Invictus Games, with Harry saying it looked like everyone in Whistler had come out to support the athletes.
Harry said he wanted all of the competitors at the Games for wounded, injured and sick military veterans and other service personnel to enjoy the experience while taking part in what he jokingly called “measured risk.”
“We just want you to have the best time,” he said. “Everybody needs to look after themselves, please. This is our first winter Games. It’s historic.”
This year’s Games are the first to feature winter adaptive sports, including alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, biathlon and skeleton.
Harry joked with the crowd and thanked his “ginger friend,” Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton, who also spoke at Monday’s welcoming event.
“Are there any other gingers in the house?” Harry asked, smiling, and saying “wonderful,” as cheers rose up from the crowd.
Harry spoke for a few minutes, telling people he wouldn’t keep anyone cold for much longer, ahead of a flyby by two Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter jets.
Harry called to Meghan to join him and she commented on the cold as she took his hand before the couple waved and left the stage in Whistler Village.
“Now she’s going to sing,” Harry said, apparently catching Meghan by surprise, as she laughed and he pretended for a moment to leave the stage.
It was a reference to Canadian singer Michael Bublé, who had introduced Harry to the stage as his friend.
Competitors in the Games are “real superheroes,” Bublé said.
“This is the second time that we’ve had the honour of hosting in this beautiful, beautiful, sovereign country of Canada,” said Bublé, sparking cheers from the crowd.
The outdoor ceremony was held amid frigid conditions in Whistler, where an Arctic outflow warning was in effect. The bulletin from Environment Canada warned of the risk of frostbite and hypothermia, with wind-chill temperatures expected to make it feel near -20 Celsius overnight.
The Games officially opened in co-host Vancouver on Saturday at BC Place, where the prince delivered an emotional speech at a ceremony featuring musical guests including Katy Perry, Chris Martin and Nelly Furtado.
Many of the events in Whistler are taking place at the same venues that hosted the 2010 Olympic Games, including the Whistler Sliding Centre — home of the fastest bobsled track in the world — where Harry and Meghan stopped by the skeleton final later on Monday.
Harry was wearing a grey toque and a black coat bearing the Invictus Games logo, while Meghan wore a long white jacket, a black toque and winter boots.
Harry had tested out the icy track last year, hitting a top speed of 99 kilometres per hour.
The couple posed for photos with members of the team from the United Kingdom, and at one point Harry could be seen playfully planting a kiss on a man’s bald head.
The Games run until Feb. 16, and will conclude with a closing ceremony at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2025.
Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press