Prince Harry in surprise new clip ahead of Invictus Games

Just a few weeks out from the 2023 Invictus Games, Prince Harry has shared his excitement for the upcoming competition in a surprise new clip.

The royal, who was just in Japan with pal and polo player Ignacios “Nacho” Figueras, will head to Dusseldorf in September to attend and support the Games.

The International sporting spectacle was founded by the Duke of Sussex in 2014 with the aim of bringing injured and sick veterans together, as well as servicemen and women, through sport.

In the clip, which was reportedly filmed at his Montecito home prior to his Asia tour, Harry could be seen grinning as he shared that he was both “excited and nervous” as the countdown to the competition’s launch on September 9 began. What’s more, the Prince was certain it would be “the best Games ever”.

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“I hope you are excited and probably a bit nervous. I’m both. But I can’t wait to see all of you and have the whole community together once again. It’s been too long,” he told participants.

“You’re all on different parts of your healing journey... We all are – we always will be.

“Good luck for the remaining few weeks, have fun, look forward to it. Being nervous is a good thing. We have 21 nations this year and can’t wait to have every continent represented. Except Antarctica – but still working on that.

“Thank you for your service, for your commitment, your determination in getting to this point. We are going to have a lot of fun and yeah, look forward to it. We’re ready to host you. It’s going to be the best games ever, the best games yet.”

The video comes hot on the heels of news British pop icon Rita Ora will be performing as the headline act for the Invictus Games’ closing ceremony, where Harry will give a speech.

It has also been reported that Harry will be in Dusseldorf for the entirety of the Games, which will be on from September 9 to September 16. Last week, it was announced that Harry’s wife Meghan will be in attendance for part of the competition and will host a special event during the closing ceremony.

The Duke’s latest clip comes just a day after he featured in a rare social media post, where he was seen having some fun in Japan with longtime friend Ignacios Figueras.

Harry, who was in Tokyo to attend ISPS Sports Values Summit – Special Edition, was seen in a photo posted by Figueras on Instagram, in which the pair posed side by side while donning aviator-style sunglasses at a retail store.

Figueras captioned the photo, “Shopping for our wives”.

The polo player was referencing his own wife, Delfina Blaquier, and of course, the Duke of Sussex’s wife Meghan, who was reportedly at the California leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour on Tuesday.

The last time Figueras shared a post of the Montecito royal on Instagram was in September last year. The sportsman expressed his birthday wishes for Harry, writing: “Happy birthday! Love you!”

The fun snap comes amid rumours that the Sussexes – who share two kids, Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2 – have been spending time apart due to marriage problems, which insiders have denied.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.