‘I wish we could close this down’: Prince Harry makes unexpected confession at Invictus Games

Prince Harry is many things; a royal, a celebrity, and a human being first and foremost. He’s also an adventurer, having teed up many professional ventures and organizations in his time; the Invictus Games is among his finer achievements.

Harry, however, wishes it didn’t have to be. While attending the seventh edition of the Invictus Games in British Columbia, Canada, Harry remarked that he wished the world provided what the Invictus Games organization seeks to provide, and subsequently render the games unnecessary, per The Express.

I wish that we could close this down because there wasn’t a need for it, but as long as there’s a need for it, we will keep it going.

For those not in the know, the Invictus Games is a sporting organization that hosts an Olympics-esque adaptive sporting competition for injured and disabled military veterans, who compete in such events as wheelchair rugby, wheelchair basketball, indoor rowing, and others. More to what Harry is referencing, the Invictus Games Foundation also provides support and recovery pathways for wounded veterans, and assists them in overcoming the social and psychological struggles of reintegrating into society post-injury.

The Games themselves serve to inspire recovery and instil purpose in its participants, among other things, while the Foundation as a whole branches more broadly into trauma research and opportunities for wounded veterans. Harry’s words speak to his desire for the Invictus Games to be obsolete on account of its services being readily available through government programs and initiatives, which is unfortunately not the case.

Statistics surrounding injured veterans paint a solemn portrait indeed. According to combatwounded.org, which speaks to the realities faced by American veterans, 30% of the country’s 2.5 million post-9/11 veterans have disabilities as a result of their military service, with 13-20% having been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. An additional 22% have been diagnosed with a Depressive Disorder, while an average of 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Moreover, 60% of these veterans are under the age of 34, while over 48,000 are either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

It’s no better for the veterans in Harry’s native U.K., either. In a report published in 2018 on the topic of PTSD in U.K. military veterans, Dr. Walter Busutill, Medical Director at Combat Stress, noted the then-growing number of U.K. military veterans seeking help following their involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Of the veterans we treat, 92% have two or more mental health conditions and almost 80% have served in a combat role. In the last decade, the number of veterans seeking help from our charity, particularly from those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, has increased by 97% with more than 2,000 new veterans now coming to us each year.

The Invictus Games were founded in 2014 by Prince Harry, himself a veteran who served in Afghanistan, after attending the US Warrior Games in 2013. Moved in equal parts by the competition and his encounters with fellow veterans, the Invictus Games were born.

The first edition of the Invictus Games were held in England, while later editions brought the games to such international locations as Orlando, Toronto, Sydney, The Hague, and Düsseldorf. Vancouver and Whistler are hosting this year’s competition together.