Prince Harry Skips Event Close To His Heart — And The Reason Is Raising Eyebrows
Prince Harry's team skipped the Invictus event on day three of his UK visit.
Prince Harry made a point of attending various Invictus Games-related events on days one and two of his UK visit. However, the Duke, who seems to enjoy media attention, appeared to back down slightly after the UK High Court's verdict in his privacy case. The loss has jolted Harry so much that he visited the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London yesterday to meet with the nursing staff and veterans. GBN News reported that external press access was completely denied at the venue. In a bizarre explanation, Prince Harry's team cited the ongoing heatwave and the building's old structure as the reasons for canceling an extended public appearance. This ban has eventually been extended into day three as well, with the Duke entirely skipping a major event marking the one-year anniversary of the Invictus Games in Birmingham.
PEOPLE! reported that the London Northwestern Railway has formed a partnership with The Invictus Games Foundation, and the news is thrilling. Presenting on behalf of the founder, Harry, TV presenter JJ Chalmers unveiled the first branded locomotive, “The Spirit of Invictus.” This set the train in motion in promotion of the 2027 Games, traveling as an advertisement for the Games over the coming year, with the reveal as the first event along the way to begin the celebrations. Additionally, it has been highlighted that a public vote provided the final name for the locomotive, with the proposed names being "Unconquered", "Master of My Fate," and "The Spirit of Invictus" (following the Henley poem, "Invictus")
Chalmers, a gold medalist in cycling from the inaugural 2014 games and a former Royal Marine, noted that this event makes him feel the same pride and a sense of ownership. "Our home games are like nothing else. You just feel such pride and ownership for the thing. This is the next level up because this is my community coming to a city that means so much to me," he told the publication. The TV presenter also noted that when invited by Prince Harry to the games, the positive effects on the participants' mental, physical, and social rehabilitation were self-evident. The train that will operate for at least a year on the London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway, and will, in all likelihood, take spectators to the event next year, has been given the black-and-gold Invictus branding.
"Each journey is another opportunity to spark curiosity and start conversations about the incredible resilience of wounded, injured, and sick service personnel and veterans," Helen D'Oyley, chief growth officer at the Invictus Games Foundation, highlighted while lauding the idea of having a locomotive operating for the noble cause. Meanwhile, Prince Harry's team has allowed only pooled media to capture the Duke in action. He was photographed today at Birmingham Children's Hospital, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the very first WellChild Nurse, in his capacity as a patron.
