The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped out to see the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge ahead of the Invictus Games opening ceremony.Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are kicking off the Invictus Games!Ahead of the event’s opening ceremony on Saturday night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped out earlier in the day to see the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge. They were clearly into the off-roading action, as they pulled some surprised faces while taking in the event.
The couple matched in sunglasses and black tops — Harry wore a polo with the Invictus Games logo, while Meghan sported a jacket over a white top and jeans with her hair tied back into a ponytail.
The driving challenge is designed to test skill, precision, navigational ability, observation and teamwork — and Prince Harry even had a go at it himself.He hopped in a Land Rover and hung out the window to help the driver navigate obstacles, including a tricky set of hills. Meghan was nearby, cheering her husband on.Both Meghan and Harry also squeezed into kiddie cars to go for a ride with some young drivers. As they neared the finish line, Prince Harry held his hands above his head in celebration.Prince Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, attended the same event ahead of the Sydney Invictus Games in 2018, shortly after the couple announced they were expecting their first child, son Archie Harrison. They wore matching Invictus Games shirts for the outing.
Once they arrived on Cockatoo Island, the couple hopped into an SUV, where they were driven to the racing track. While there, Meghan and Harry were introduced to several volunteers and athletes. Soon after, the Jaguar Land Rover began swerving through the cones.On Friday, Meghan and Prince Harry made their first appearance in The Hague to attend a welcome reception for athletes, family and friends. Meghan sported an all white ensemble featuring wide-leg trousers with a matching oversized blazer, while Harry opted for a suit sans tie.They were escorted by Team Netherlands athletes and some of their family members, including a mom who used carried her baby reportedly wrapped in Meghan’s tan coat.This year’s Games were originally scheduled for 2020 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Monday, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed that Meghan will join Prince Harry in the Netherlands for the first several days of the Invictus Games, the international sports competition founded by Harry for wounded service members and veterans.But it isn’t Meghan’s first Invictus experience. In 2017, she joined Harry at the Toronto Games, marking the couple’s first official appearance together. She was by his side again in 2018 for the Sydney Games.In 2014, Harry — who served a decade in the British army and two tours in Afghanistan — was inspired to establish the Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style competitive event showing the unconquerable spirit of wounded, ill and injured servicemen and women.
Harry said at a Nov. 2021 gala at New York City’s Intrepid Museum that he created the Invictus Games “to honor the legacy of those who have given so much” as well as to show “that the men and women who have experienced service injuries, as well as their families, are the strongest people in the world…and they deserve a platform to be seen, a platform to be recognized and a platform to be truly celebrated.”The Invictus Games have previously been held in London in 2014, Orlando in 2016, Toronto in 2017 and Sydney in 2018. They will next take place in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2023.Before they met, both Meghan and Harry shared a commitment to supporting the troops. In addition to the Invictus Games, Harry has inspired veterans with the Walking with the Wounded charity and the Endeavour Fund. Meghan, meanwhile, traveled to Afghanistan in December 2014 on a USO tour.
