Skip to main contentSkip to footer
prince harry invictus statement

Prince Harry urges military veterans to 'support one another' amid Afghanistan crisis

The Duke of Sussex served in the Army for ten years

Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
August 17, 2021
Share this:

The Duke of Sussex has urged military veterans to "offer support for one another" amid the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

Prince Harry, 36, issued a joint statement on Monday in his role as patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, which helps soldiers through their recovery via international sports competitions.

The Duke served in the Army for ten years, during which time he carried out two frontline tours of Afghanistan.

READ: The Queen expresses sadness over deaths in Haiti earthquake in personal note

WATCH: Prince Harry announces postponement of Invictus Games The Hague

The statement from Harry, Lord Allen of Kensington CBE, Chair of the Games and Dominic Reid OBE, CEO of the Games, read: "What's happening in Afghanistan resonates across the international Invictus community.

"Many of the participating nations and competitors in the Invictus Games family are bound by a shared experience of serving in Afghanistan over the past two decades, and for several years, we have competed alongside Invictus Games Team Afghanistan.

"We encourage everybody across the Invictus network – and the wider military community – to reach out to each other and offer support for one another."

MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hire Fargo producer for Netflix shows

MORE: Princess Beatrice says having dyslexia is a 'gift' and any of her future children would be 'lucky' to have it

prince harry afghanistan 2008© Photo: Getty Images

Prince Harry serving in Afghanistan in 2008

Harry, who now lives in the US with wife Meghan and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, founded the Invictus Games in 2014 - an international adaptive multi-sport event in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and veterans participate.

It celebrates the power of sport in recovery and how it can help, physically or psychologically, those suffering from injuries or illness.

The first event took place in London and since then has been held in Orlando in 2016, Toronto in 2017 and Sydney in 2018.

The Games had been due to take place in The Hague in May 2020 but have been postponed twice due to the pandemic. It will now take place in the spring of 2022.

Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity, royal and lifestyle news delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up to HELLO! Daily for all the latest and best royal coverage

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Royalty

See more