For the better part of a month, the British press has been throwing everything at Prince Harry. Bitter recriminations, wild smears, mockery, nastiness, obsession, fixation, just the worst coverage possible, all in an attempt to make the Sussex family feel threatened and unpopular. It hasn’t worked. Like, at all. The British media cartel basically punched itself out for days, and the Sussexes were still invited to Highgrove, and Harry still showed up to his UK events with a smile on his face and an international spotlight. Speaking of, People Magazine had a lovely exclusive about Harry’s work with Invictus. It’s nice to see such a positive piece in an American outlet.

Prince Harry brings his own brand of “sparkle and magic” to any Invictus Games gathering, his colleagues and friends exclusively tell PEOPLE.

David Wiseman, a leading light in the Invictus movement and former serviceman, tells PEOPLE that Harry’s importance to the games cannot be underestimated. He also notes that the Duke of Sussex’s focus on the games during his U.K. trip in recent days came despite obvious distractions, including a crushing legal defeat, controversies over where he would stay and security fears for his family.

“Bearing in mind how much he’s got going on in different facets of his life, he’s showing how dedicated he is to the Invictus movement,” Wiseman says. “[Harry’s] committed so much of his time and energy to the Invictus Games Foundation, events and everything that’s building towards the games in 2027,” Wiseman — who heads up the international department of the Foundation and accompanies Harry on some of his overseas trips to Ukraine and Nigeria — tells PEOPLE.

“These aren’t small things — they take up quite a lot of bandwidth, and we’re incredibly grateful that he’s so committed, so dedicated, so passionate about the Invictus movement,” he says. “I’ve said this before: he’s through and through a true leader in the international veteran community. You can see that when he’s in a room with [the veterans] he comes alive and he gets his energy from that. It’s been a distracting week for him, but I’m also positive he will have gained a lot of energy by hanging out with people with whom he has so much affinity.”

Meanwhile, Head of the Birmingham games, Helen Helliwell, tells PEOPLE that Harry is much more than a patron. “He always brings sparkle and magic,” she says. “He’s a massive supporter of the armed forces community, and it’s always fantastic having him here. The wounded and sick, and the friends and family, always love having him here.”

For many of those set to compete in next year’s games, which are taking place in Birmingham, U.K., the setting couldn’t be more poignant, as the city is where they began their long road to recovery.

“In many ways, the city is the birthplace of Invictus,” former Royal Marine J.J. Chalmers exclusively tells PEOPLE. Like scores of others, Chalmers was taken to a hospital in the city when he was medevaced from the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq. “The Invictus Spirit was born in Ward 412, where we were all recovering together,” he adds. Chalmers, who took part in the cycling event at the first games in London in 2014, recalls, “When I was blown up, I closed my eyes, dying on the floor in Afghanistan. And I opened them in what seemed like a second later — it was actually a week later — 2,500 miles away in Birmingham. It took me a long time to really appreciate exactly what that place was – the most remarkable hospital, with the most remarkable staff, who were on the absolute cutting edge of keeping people who should die, alive.”

[From People]

I love that David Wiseman (who is HOT) and JJ Chalmers are the ones being interviewed here. Enough with the “royal sources” and bizarre Tom Bower lies about Invictus. Actually talk to the people involved with Invictus. Actually talk to the veterans. Talk to the people who have supported this mission for years. And Harry is the sparkle and magic!

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.