Although Prince Harry’s children—son Archie, who turns three on May 6, and 10-month-old daughter Lili—don’t appear to have accompanied he and wife Meghan Markle to The Hague, Netherlands for the Invictus Games, Harry showed in a speech last night that his kids are never far from his mind.
During the opening ceremony of the games last night, Harry detailed Archie’s myriad of career aspirations, saying “when I talk to my son Archie about what he wants to be when he grows up, some days it’s an astronaut, other days it’s a pilot—a helicopter pilot, obviously—or Kwazii from Octonauts,” Harry said laughing, then adding “if you’re laughing, then you’ve seen that.”
“But what I remind him is that no matter what you want to be when you grow up, it’s your character that matters most, and nothing would make his mum and me prouder than to see him have the character of what we see before us today,” he told the assembled crowd. He added that Invictus Games competitors have “overcome immense challenges” and “are healing and teaching the world as you go,” per PEOPLE.
Prior to Harry’s speech, Meghan addressed the crowd, thanking The Netherlands for hosting the games.
“For each team, my husband and I both recognize it’s been a lot to get here, both physically and emotionally, not least of which for the Ukraine team, whom we are all standing with,” she said. “One thing I know for sure is that every single moment it has taken to get here will be worth it, because it is here, at the Invictus Games, that we honor your years of active duty on the field and your continued service to your country, to your family, and your community off the field.”
Meghan and Harry shared a kiss onstage amid Meghan saying she “could not love and respect him more.”
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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.
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