The Invictus Games officially begin today, but Prince Harry (King Dirty Ginger Snap) has already been in Florida for days. On Friday and Saturday, Harry was participating in the welcoming events, holding babies, kissing puppies, shaking hands with veterans and generally being lovely and adorable. Interestingly enough, I think Poor Jason (the PR guy for the Cambridges and Harry) is with Harry in Florida. Just before Jason released a slew of lovely Harry photos, the KensingtonRoyal Twitter released some information about upcoming events involving Prince William. Because of course Harry can’t just have a moment. Speaking of Harry’s moment, I loved this story from People Magazine:
Over breakfast at the Warrior Games in Colorado in 2013, Prince Harry turned to friend David Wiseman and said: “We’re going to bring this idea back to the U.K. and make it massive.”
Now, two years on from the first Paralympic-style Invictus Games in London, the excitement is building for second event, which will kick off in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday. “It’s going to be such a fantastic atmosphere which the athletes will draw from,” U.K team captain Wiseman says.
While Harry’s hopes for the UK version were big “if he had said there would be the First Lady and former President Bush at a games in Orlando a few years later I would have said ‘wow,’ ” Wiseman adds. “The world is watching this and hopefully lots of people can drawn inspiration from the amazing men and women competing in sport here. There’s going to be a lot of razzmataz.”
Wiseman, who qualified for four swimming races in preliminary races on Saturday, was speaking to reporters after Harry had visited the swimming pool. “He has been knocking around for the last couple of days. He has a good, natural affinity with the veterans and service personnel. He belongs to that community and he can just rock up and whoever you are can stand here having a chat with the competitors. It’s natural, it’s genuine.”
What I enjoy is that Harry always gives credit where it’s due: the American Warrior Games were his inspiration, and he wanted to make it bigger and more inclusive to veterans around the world. And Wiseman is right, Harry is natural and genuine. Always, but especially around veterans. And children. And puppies. And everyone else.
Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News, Getty and KP’s social media.
Oh my goodness. I don’t usually care about the Royal Family stories, but that top pic of Harry with that little girl is everything. The look on his face!
Right? And the picture with the dog too!
Honking for Harry 🙂
Honk, honk!
HONKing all week for Harry and Invictus!!! Puppies and little kids and veterans.. Yeah!!
Can’t wait to see GKH and his buddy Michelle rocking it with the vets!
Honk!!!! Fantastic opening for the Games.
A friend and her brother are there, and say the mood is utterly electric. Bravo, Harrry.
LIttle kids and dogs. Harry always looks like he totally relates.
But I want to know where his crown, cape, and pointy shoes are!!
me too! just the image 🙂 wow! what would William do to upstage that optic?
So many great photos already…
Honking for Harry!!
He is just a doll!!! What a wonderful man he has grown to be. His mother was right – he should be the king. She would be very proud of him!
I’m in Florida! 😉
I’ll be there in Sept. Wish I were there now!
Me too! I live 2 hours from Orlando! 🙂
You should go! I like to go to stuff even just once to sort of cross it off this invisible bucket list I have in my head. SO often it’s the things friends have asked me to do (rather than my own interests) that have been the most interesting and/or come up in conversation at a later time.
Me too! About two hours away. I wish he was down in Clearwater!
Wow! I’ve been to Clearwater and the beaches are absolutely jaw droppingly gorgeous (compared to Naples & Marco Island where we normally go).
While I was in Clearwater, I went to that small library in town to look up some info and I was approached by a Scientologist who was trying to get me to take a class? I was more than a bit hungover so, I probably looked like vulnerable wreck that day in need of a lot of life guidance?! So funny. It made the trip for me and my friends! I was so delighted! Ha ha ha.
I’m about as far away from Florida as you can get and still be within the 48 contiguous states. I wish I was in Florida!
Who is going? Would love some inside stories 🙂
My husband and I are probably going to try to get tickets for the closing ceremony, because we live about 20 minutes away….I’ll report back if we do!
that beautiful beautiful dog….
and Harry.
my heart melts like soft serve ice cream on the Disney World tarmac.
I’m not a baby/kid person, so pics of him with kids don’t usually do anything for me. But I *love* dogs, and that pic of him kissing the dog … HOOOOOOOONK!!!!!
Omg amazing. His mother would have been SO proud. I wonder if Charles will be there as a show of support? I can’t imagine doing something that big and not having one of my parents there to cheer it on!
Charles was very cute and very visibly proud at the London Invictus games. He went on to use a pic of himself (with Camilla) for that year’s christmas card.
Ps: you can see Frederick of Denmark in the background!!
Here, have the trailer for the Invictus choir:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFx_uATlHk8
Major heartstrings tug, the show.
I am seriously hating you right now, SIxer. I’m watching it. Damn you!!!!
I loved the guy with the TBI who had trouble remembering the lyrics. He was my favourite!
I know Gareth Malone is seemingly everywhere these days, but Invictus is the perfect setting for one of his choirs, no?
Over here, I’ve never seen Gareth Malone; wouldn’t know him from Adam. I was struck by their stories and how they came together and did it — even the guy who can’t sing! I liked Stewart too, but I think I was really rooting for the woman with PTSD who is fighting back from not being able to leave her house.
He’s done choirs for just about every possible section of people going. Anything tear-jerking happens, it seems they call in Gareth to do a choir for it. But the formats of Invictus and Gareth fit perfectly together!
I liked that they included women with PTSD too – it’s not just men who suffer.
I will be watching this – this is one of those situations where his choir idea is perfect. The Military Wives was such a big success.
I cried my bloody eyes out. Lovely concept, beautifully executed by people who didn’t think they could do it.
i was watching the trailer you gave and made a note to ask where i could watch the whole episode when the episode loaded.
i was not prepareeeeed!!!!
i had to stumble blindly for tissues and gave up. basically crying into the throw pillows on my sofa now.
they’re so inspirational and i wish i can see them singing in Orlando. it’ll be sooo amazing.
Sorry! It was a tear-jerker! I hope they get featured stateside too. Like I said above, this guy does a lot of similar TV shows and it’s very clear singing is a powerful therapeutic tool.
The opening ceremonies are being televised. Not sure on what channel, though. ESPN?
@Sixer, gotcha! will look him up and save videos for those days when i need a good cry. music and tales of inspiration, they slay me everytime.
will definitely stock up on tissues and custard cremes (i found the bourbons, chocolate with coarse sugar sprinkles on top? love them! but better the custard cremes :D) i found the M&S ones on discount (1 month before expiry so buy 1 get 1… i think i bought a whole shelf get another shelf free lol)
@Bluhare, ESPN is the network sponsor? cool! so full coverage of the games? i thought it’s just the name of the place, but for them to sponsor the whole thing would be great for exposure.
I believe opening ceremonies will be broadcast on ESPN2. If you have cable and the WatchESPN app, you can watch it on there live or replay it later. Some events will be on ESPN3 as well, but I’m not sure if they’ll be on the app.
http://disneysportsnews.com/releases/2016/03/29/invictus-games-orlando-2016-event-schedule-at-espn-wide-world-of-sports-complex/
Scroll down for the schedule.
Deb – I love you for the biscuits!
All the honks for Harry. He’s just shining!
Agreed!
Harry is sparkling brighter than Edward Cullen in the FL sunshine!!
Former prez Bush. …GW? Were it not for him a lot of these veterans would have not been in harm’s way.
Yes, really – a rare PR fail by Harry to have that war criminal at the Games. Too bad.
But Michelle will be there!! Maybe she can give him some serious side-eye!
Unfortunately, the fact of Bush will be there, is also a political move. It’s complicated, he can’t allienate anyone.. Diplomacy sucks..
What a vision to wake up to on a Saturday!!! Thank you! He is gorgeous!!!!!!!!!
You go Harry! What a lovely person he is. Do you know why he is happy and Will is gloomy? Harry has learned that giving brings happiness and fulfillment.
So true!
Silkymalice – so very well put – and so true!
Yes, and he’s gotten out of his own head and his own sense of injury and found that to do for those less fortunate than you are is the key to a fulfulling life.
Now if only he ends up with a woman who feels the same way that he does and isn’t just a pretty hanger-on.
here’s harry, a prince who knew perfectly that he is a prince and then use his position for good causes. He looks relaxe and engaged.
there’s william, heir of the heir who always tell people that he want to be ‘normal’ and dont know about royal work, but all his act scream ‘spoiled royal’
And dont bring parent issue to defend him. urrghh as a social worker. I really mad when someone defend william because diana death, paparazi trauma etc.
You know, in real life there are lots of crueler trauma than our precious chopper prince .. parent who sold their daughter to prostitution or drag them to be beggar on the street, have an addict parents etc. These kids dont have queen as a granny. So these kids have to pull their adult pants before time and continue their -usually- crappy life..
As someone who works with female ex-offenders, I couldn’t agree with you more!!!
When you compare the two like that it somehow (didn’t know it could get worse) makes William look even more terrible.
Honk for Harry!! So cool to see him and all of the people who worked so hard organizing and training pull this off and it looks like such a great event! MAJORLY wishing I was at Disney World tho!!!
He looks soooo joyful! That little girl is leaning into him. He puts people completely at ease.
I so admire him for his hard work but moreover that he truly seems to enjoy it.
I know Harry is giving a million interviews around the Games but this one with an Orlando TV station really stood out to me:
https://youtu.be/2XRjq-gqA_g
I can’t imagine William or Kate ever sounding that passionate or informed about any subject they ever find themselves keen on.
That video was so good. Thanks for sharing!! He has such genuine passion
He really does speak it it well, doesn’t he. You can feel how much he cares about it.
Thanks for sharing.. that was a great video. What strikes me is how passionate he is about this whole thing and gives as much time – no rushing through this video and it was just a local FL Orlando affiliate so no national reporter.
And when she asks at the end if any of the other royals will be there.. he kind of laughs.. seriously where is Chutney and Chopper? Why can’t they make an appearance bring George to Disney? Part of me is glad they aren’t stealing Harry’s spotlight but part of me is like .. oh yeah, they are probably busy doing more Vogue photoshoots and whatnot.
I’m glad that Will and Kate aren’t going to be there! They would make the whole thing about them. They seem to hate when Harry succeeds, so they are probably going to try to do something to take attention away from the event, even if they aren’t there.
@Melly – why do you think the Vogue photoshoot images were released this week? They were taken in January and I know they were for the 100th edition and the NPG exhibition but still, its all very suspect. This is a big week for Harry and the games and so far we got Chutney making it all about her with the Vogue shots, Charlotte’s birthday photos and the 3 engagements she did in one day (and changed outfits for everyone of them). She went all out to get the press attention.
Chutney has ALWAYS loved the press attention, even now. She’s just toned it down it a bit – she was known to approach the paps asking for copies of their shots for the ‘family album’. Yeah who wants pap shots of them flashing their knickers getting in and out of a taxi and falling out of clubs at 4am for the family album.
Thanks for the video. I love to watch my ginger sexy speak. He’s so genuine and you can feel his enthusiasm, it is infectious. He cares about this and you can tell. I loved it.
i honestly think that he is a natural and truly inherits this good trait of his mother’s and father’s genes. (which makes me think that even if he is born 1st and heir, he will still be the Harry we know today).
even at the height of his Bad Boy Harry-ness he still has that same passionate fire behind his words when speaking about things he care about.
i found this video in the recommended list after watching the Invictus Choir video Sixer linked above.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7sGDFah2IG8
i was surprised at how young he looked on the video!
he was, what 18/19(?), when he visited Lesotho for the first time for a gap year, two years later Sentebale happened. and a charity he has poured a lot of care for without fail! a lot more than can be said of his older brother for sure…
Wow thank you for that video interview. I was only going to watch a minute and ended up watching the whole thing.
He was FANTASTIC. He is so passionate, articulate, and yet unpretentious- it is inspiring. His family must be SO proud of him.
Thanks! It goes to show he is genuine. This is who he is not some new move to gain popularity. He’s just lovely.
He’s so chatty!!! And he talks so honestly about his pain in being pulled out of battle and how he was able to transform that into something that gives back.
I can’t imagine Wills talking about anything but how persecuted he is for 15 minutes, while Harry spoke passionately about doing something for others. He really is a treasure and seems to be the best of Charles and Diana in one package.
Honk for Harry! What a stud! This man was born to serve others and does so with a smile on his face.
I loathe People mag but please ready the fantastic interview they did w Harry this week to launch the Games….revealing, fascinating, you’ll love Harry even more. What he says, so open, strong, honest, real…. I was really moved and I have been honking for Harry forever. This man doesn’t need to be king….his gift is to the world. Right man at the right time in history, I think.
Liberty- I cannot stand People mag either (all the bootlicking Princess Kate stuff), but I broke down and bought it and read the interview. Everything you said, great interview. Harry truly is his mother’s legacy.
That dog is me. Oh, god, I like The Ginger Royal. Alot. Look at him laughing-I love a big laugh. Sighhhhhhhhhhh.
Also, I wanted to say HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the moms out there who do so much! This also includes moms of fur babies. I was hoping there would be a separate post, and I will be damned if I put that on a Kardashian post. Harry is perfect though, because when I look at him, I see his lovey mom.
Thank you kri. I’m a human and fur mother. I don’t blame you for not putting in the other post of those who shall not be named. It is thoughtful of you to post this.
Yes, Happy Mothers Day to you Kri and all moms and fur moms everywhere! HONKING FOR HARRY!!!
I wanted to wish you and everyone Happy Mother’s Day too. i thought I posted that but guess not. 💐💐
He’s amazing……and I can’t wait to marry him!!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂❤️
Honks for Harry! Honks for Invictus!
Sharing a PR guy with the Cambridges seems like such a terrible idea. If Poor Jason makes Harry look good, it makes the Cambridges look worse in comparison. There’s a definite conflict of interest here…
Jason can only work with what he is given. In the long run, Harry makes himself look good because of the way he handles things. The Cambridges are resposible for their own actions.
Harry was on the main current affairs BBC show that airs on Sunday mornings, plugging Invictus. He had a moan about press intrusion, a la Normal Bill.
I’m still inclined to the “tough cookies” view, but here’s the difference, #poorjason or no #poorjason: Harry gets at least the favour of a hearing from me because it’s plain he is undertaking his duties with a praiseworthy level of enthusiasm, commitment and knowledge.
I think #poorjason is messing it up. But then, you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. It’s Bill being a sow’s ear that is the real problem. Not #poorjason. I think it would be the same whether they share him or not.
I agree, Sixer. It’s the raw material.
Sixer, what did he say about press intrusion? Into the games or his personal life?
He said stuff along the lines of “It’s too much and it’s not on. Private is private”. About the games, he said “this is me public AND me private because it’s both duty and passion”. But his point was that the interest should stop there. Stroppy enough to make the subsequent news broadcasts.
Like I say, I don’t have much sympathy. Downside of being a royal and there are more than enough upsides for me to say tough bananas, Harry. But I *will* give him a hearing that I wouldn’t give the other fool because effort.
Thank you, Sixer. And I agree…tough bananas. It’s part of the privilege.
Here’s the Andrew Marr interview from this morning:
https://vimeo.com/165775662
He does address his privilege and goes on to say that he “will spend the rest of my life earning that privilege and trying to bring a spotlight on to things and causes that really matter to me, and hopefully matter to other people as well.” That’s not something I’ve ever heard acknowledged by the Petulant Pilot. Hey PP: This is how you Royal.
I’m hopeful that because #PoorJason is with Harry, the inevitable bus-throwing by the Norfolk Nitwits will at least be AFTER the games conclude. And that all the photos and videos of Harry from FL create a buffer.
A question for the United Kingdom commenters – Do you think everyone would go nuts if Harry married a girl from the US? Canadian or Australian might be fine but would an American girl be stepping over the line?
He totally can marry me! LOL I am an American living in Canada, maybe I would get a pass. haha
In answer to your question, probably. Our accent alone would make most cringe. My own accent is very New Yorrrker. I saw Caught like Cawght and faaather etc.
I think as long as she wasn’t Catholic, it wouldn’t really matter.
I was raised Catholic but I will convert to anything for Harry haha.
I don’t think anyone would care – but the press would have a field day!
I am too old for him to marry me, but I would definitely volunteer to be surrogate mom. I’m British; now I just need to know where to send in my application.
Technically, nationality and race has never mattered. For any of the royal families except when it was a matter of diplomatic relations and settling territorial disputes.
Now that the religious question has been settled ie cancelled out (effective March 2015), he can marry anyone of any religion. They don’t even have to convert.
I think if he married someone non British or non Commonwealth, their nationality would make her a saint or a sinner. Meaning that it would be a dog whistle either for xenophobia or pretend super special relationship with her home country.
Sorry, wrong place!
I honestly think if he married a woman who put on a pair or Lee or Levi jeans, a t-shirt, pulled her hair back and put a baseball cap on her head, and visited his Sentebele charity with him for weeks on end like he did and got down on the ground with the kids and then helped him with the Invictus games without make-up and hair women on standby the world would love her? And gave interviews as intelligent and informed as he did above? I think the world would be eating out of her hand. How could you not?
What would be interesting is to see what Kate and William would do about this. I think Harry marrying someone as charity-minded as he is would totally change the dynamic of the royal family and also the dynamic of how the press treats the heir and the spare. If the world falls in love with Harry’s wife and sees how useless Kate and Wills are in comparison to this couple, there will be much screaming, throwing things, wailing, gnashing of teeth and maybe even some work. But I doubt it, because I think that even if Kate and Wills decided to work, her lack of any kind of useful experience is a HUGE hindrance to her being effective at anything but waving and playing with her hair (and compare that to a future Harry wife picking up African children and playing with them, etc.) and I think Will’s crappy attitude toward those “plebes” who are trying to “bog him down” in charity work makes him unlikable.
It’s a very interesting dynamic, and I’d love to write a novel about it!!
Love your post. It is not going to be easy to find someone so down to earth who would want to live in a fishbowl. Hopefully he can find a well rounded wife.
Magnoliarose, I always said I wouldn’t ever want this kind of fishbowl for my daughter, but Harry makes me think twice about this. Would I encourage my daughter in a relationship with a public figure if she had the chance to do good works, like Harry has? I don’t know. But I truly think if he finds a woman to whom good works are more important than good hair, I think the press and public will be on her side, as they are on the side of Princess Anne. And it is an opportunity to really make a difference in the world.
You make a good point. It is what frustrates me about her. Such a great opportunity to change lives and she does nothing. She wasn’t even moved by the poor children in India. Contrast her with Harry and it is startling.
As a fellow ginger, I’ve always said, for Harry I would leave my gf. 🙂 He’s so adorable and what he’s accomplishing for veterans is amazing. I’m Honking for Harry!
Honk for Harry!!! We need to make this a trending twitter tag during the games 🙂
PS: Micheal K over at DListed will faint over the photo of Harry puckering up to the dog. hahaha
Harry always looks like he enjoys these events. That’s one of the reasons I have a soft spot for him.
Honking for Harry! I hope you cover the interview he did with Sunday Times, it was really good.
Also Happy Mother’s Day to all moms out there!
He did an amazing job! Now I find myself looking which tv channel these games are on! And I will get tickets for the games in Toronto next year for sure! This is such a great and inspiring event, and they present it as an inspiration for the very people who are celebrated and suffered losses, this is what I find great, these people find an inspiration and are shown recognition and gratitude they deserve in the sweetest manner that values them as athletes. I cannot say how touched I am by what Harry did with these games. Let’s give credit when credit is due: what Harry did here is at same level with what his mother did for people suffering from aids and land mines back in her days. We are all aware now of these games and looking for it and at the same time, grateful to be able to cheer on the same people whose sacrifices mean so much for our society. Harry does get the recognition he deserves by all the enthusiasm that the Games are bringing.
Is the going to be a story about how Kate gets to be the patron or something of Wimbledon?
Plus, his trip to Nepal highlighted something I was no longer concerned with: the reconstruction is not on-going really. It made me want to go visit there to encourage tourism. Harry brings awareness and makes people interested in what he supports. I do not want to compare but cannot help but do: W and K do not give that to their causes. W’s causes (species that are among those he does not hunt (he hunts others but not those he protects….not very consistent and difficult to follow for non hunters who kill nothing ever) are not clear and not well defined. Their trip to India showed nothing we did not know about, we did not hear about new charity helping kids in the street, we saw a very beautiful country and their beautiful queen and king though, I may go there one day on a luxury trip, but this is not really bringing awareness to the most vulnerable but rather to the most privileged. Kate has good causes but again, I do not really understand exactly how it works, she should pursue the mental health one for kids but ensure that it does not sound too : this is what affects the poor people who are unlucky enough to be poor, cause it affects everyone. In the past, what she promoted sounded very ‘mental health is a plague of the poor’ instead of mental health is a concern for all kids whatever their background. Still work to do but I find her causes more interesting personally and more worthy of my attention. Again, I will never pay to kill an elephant and find the thing disgusting (I know that W justified it to some extent- I can understand what he meant from a rational standpoint but he will not get me into believing he is a great animal protector by picking and choosing which animals deserve his help and which do not.
I just wish we could be having some Chinese and red wine, listening to his beautiful accent for hours 😍
Hehe 😃
Just seeing how happy and involved he is brings a smile to my face! I’m glad he has found success in worthy causes and can’t wait to see what he does next!
God, I love him. Honkity honk honk HONK. That’s a thing, right?
Honks for Harry!
I couldn’t even make it thru the trailer for the Invictus Choir program. I’m a music teacher, so I’m already in love with the transformative power of Music, but when you throw in the struggles of veterans? Ugly cry.
I met Prince Harry when he came to Linton Camp last year in Palmerston North, New Zealand. He was just lovely, shook my son’s hand and my hand, and told me my son should be wearing a hat because it was cold out. I got told off my Prince Harry lol. It was such an awesome moment, I have a couple great pictures from it too 🙂
I am very jealous. I would have had a huge problem fighting the urge to slip him my number with hearts drawn instead of zeros. Lucky duck melanie.
*zeroes* lol
You lucky “gal” ..
*so envious right now…*
Good King Harry! Honk, honk!
Take note, lazy Cambridges, this is what “royal work” means, and what genuine empathy, hard work and compassion look like.
Literally ten minutes down the road from me!
He is absolutely gorgeous. Charming, good-looking, caring, happy, grateful. He seems to possess all of these traits.
OhMyOvaries.
Of course dogs and babies love him. because of course they do.
He is just so passionate about this cause. I have a lot of things I’m interested in and care about, but I hope one day I will find something that drives me in the same way that this drives him!
It’s Mother’s Day and Harry is a beautiful example of the legacy of his mother,Diana.