Prince Harry has made a surprise appearance to meet Invictus Games volunteers, a day after he arrived in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The Duke couldn't keep the smile off his face as he posed with the volunteers, and the Invictus Games social media team shared the picture, revealing that their role is to "conduct all assessments of the competitors at the #InvictusGames to facilitate fair competition in recovery".
"The Duke of Sussex dropped in this morning to meet with our international group of volunteer categorisers!" the tweet read. "This group, led by @weareinvictus, conduct all assessments of the competitors at the #InvictusGames to facilitate fair competition in recovery."
The meeting comes hours before he will open the 2023 Invictus Games on Saturday September 9. The Duke arrived without his wife, Meghan Markle, who is currently back in the United States with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, although the Duchess is expected to fly out to join her husband during the Games.
The pair made their royal debut at the 2017 games, a year after they had begun dating, Their appearance at the games came two months before their engagement was announced.
Harry's arrival in Germany comes following a whistlestop visit to the UK where he attended the Wellchild Awards and paid tribute to his late grandmother, the Queen, on the first year anniversary of her passing.
Harry returned to the UK on Wednesday September 6, in order to be present at the Wellchild Awards on Thursday, for which he is royal patron. The awards celebrate the incredible achievements and resilience of youngsters with complex medical needs and their families, and HELLO! was proudly one of the sponsors of the event.
The father-of-two missed the 2022 Awards due to the passing of his grandmother, the Queen, and he paid tribute to her in a speech given at the ceremony.
"As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away," he said. "As you also probably know, she would have been the first person to insist I still come to be with you all instead of going to her, and that's precisely why I know, exactly one year on, she is looking down on all of us tonight – happy we are together – continuing to spotlight such an incredible community."
He also referenced his family who are back in Los Angeles, when he added: "As a father of two – and three dogs, so basically five – I'm acutely aware of the many joys and challenges that come with parenting. And that's with kids who aren't facing health challenges. So to the parent carers in the room, you have my sincerest admiration and respect."