Prince Harry criticises 'weak moral character' in the world
Prince Harry has criticised the "weak moral character" in the world in his speech to open the 2025 Invictus Games.
Prince Harry has criticised the "weak moral character" in the world.
The Duke of Sussex gave a speech at the opening of the 2025 Invictus Games - which he set up for wounded and sick military personnel and veterans in 2014 - at the BC Place stadium in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday (08.02.25) and praised the "fearless" competitiors and the support they offer one another amid a time of "difficulty and division".
He told the 40,000 assembled in the stadium: "In this moment of difficulty and division in many parts of the world, we gather here in Vancouver in a spirit of unity. We represent 23 nations. Speak many different languages and reflect the full breadth of the world’s religions and faiths.
"Beyond any differences, here at the Invictus Games, we are grounded in mutual respect, competing fiercely but believing in one another, supporting one another and rooting for one another.
"Listen, the Games were born more than a decade ago from a promise that I made to myself — a promise to uphold my obligation, my sacred obligation after my own decade and privilege of military service — to do whatever I could to help my fellow brothers and sisters heal and to champion everything that we stand for.
"Over the past decade, I've lost count of the times that we've heard you tell us that the Invictus Games 'saved you.' Respectfully, I disagree. Invictus didn't save you. You saved yourself.
"It was you who pushed through the doubt and despair. You who summited your own mountain and brought us along with you. It was you who kept going even when you didn’t think you had any more to give. We didn’t do that. You did.
"The Games simply reveal what is already within you. That scarcest — and most precious — of the world’s resources: character. A spirit of fortitude and perseverance that can never be defeated.
"That is the magic of the Invictus Games.
"At this moment, when there is no shortage of crises, no absence of uncertainty, no lack of weak moral character in the world, the values you embody — the way you carry yourselves — not only at the Invictus Games, but each and every day...your courage, your resilience, your humanity...illuminate a path forward for us all."
Harry ended his speech with a rallying challenge to the competitors.
He said: "Show the world how you behave under completely impossible circumstances. Show the world your fearlessness. Show the world the grandeur in your attempt at victory. Show the world why you are Invictus."
The former Army captain was joined at the opening ceremony by his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and they watched performances from the likes of Katy Perry, Nelly Furtado, Chris Martin, Noah Kahan and Roxanne Bruneau.
After the ceremony, the couple watched an ice hocket match between the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs at the Rogers Arena.
