It’s been a few weeks since the royal wedding, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex already have their next events planned out… and some of them pretty far in advance. On Sunday, Prince Harry revealed where you’ll see him and Meghan Markle in 2020. In a special announcement on Twitter, Prince Harry shared the host country of the 2020 Invictus Games, of which he the founder.
“I am delighted to announce that The Hague is taking up the challenge of hosting the 5th #InvictusGames. The city will soon become the motivation for hundreds of servicemen and women using the Games to inspire their recovery from physical and mental injuries,” it was announced on the Kensington Palace Twitter account. It seems that Prince Harry and Markle will be taking a trip to the Netherlands in 2020, as the games have a special significance for the couple.
The Invictus Games were started by Prince Harry in 2014, and are meant to unite injured service members through sports. It has since evolved into an phenomenon across the globe and has been hosted in three international cities including London, Orlando, and Toronto. Harry noted his excitement at hosting the games in the Netherlands, and discussed what it meant for the future of the event.
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“The Netherlands has supported the #InvictusGames from the very beginning, and I know that everyone there will fully get behind and support the soldiers and veterans who have served their countries so bravely,” he shared on Twitter. “We have already seen in London, Orlando, and Toronto just how exciting hosting the #InvictusGames can be, and I know this will be an incredible experience for everyone in The Hague as they embrace the Invictus spirit in 2020.”
The Invictus Games aim to help wounded or injured service members rehabilitate through sports, and as a veteran himself, it’s a meaningful cause for Harry. He served in the British military for 10 years, and did two tours in Afghanistan. In 2016, he told CBS News he hoped Princess Diana would appreciate the games’ achievements. “I’d hope she’d be incredibly proud. I hope she’d be sitting up there having her own little party and looking down thinking what we’ve achieved because it’s a massive team effort,” he said. “What we’ve achieved is absolutely brilliant. I would love it if she was here, and I’m sure she would be running around causing chaos like I intend to.”
Since 2014, the games have grown in profile. According to E!, 19 nations will compete in nine different sports in 2020, including swimming, archery, cycling, wheelchair rugby, powerlifting, indoor rowing, and volleyball. The 2020 games will also mark the beginning of a move to a biennial games. In a statement to People, Dominic Reid, the CEO of the Invictus Games Foundation, explained the shift: “In moving to a biennial Games, the Invictus Games Foundation will use the intervening years to develop knowledge transfer and the sharing of best practice to allow the Invictus Spirit to flourish amongst all participating nations.”
This year’s event is set to take place in Sydney, Australia, and according to People, Markle and Harry are expected to make the trip to the games together. The competition has a special significance for the royal couple, who made their public debut at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto. The couple appeared holding hands and sat front row during one of the events.
The two have continued to show their support for the Invictus Games over the last year. In April, they appeared together at the U.K. trials for the games. They spent the whole day at the University of Bath’s Sports Training Village, and had the opportunity to get to know the athletes and cheer them on during the competitions. Over 400 competitors came to the trials to work toward making one of the 72 spots the U.K. holds for the game, according to E! News. Later that month, Prince Harry and Markle also appeared at a formal reception for the 4th Annual Invictus Games.
The royal family invests in a variety of charitable causes, but the Invictus Games are an extra special event since Harry is the founder. He and Markle will likely appear at the annual event in Sydney, Australia this fall, and Harry’s latest announcement reveals where they will appear in 2020, too. The couple will definitely continue to support the Invictus Games as it becomes a biennial event, and fans can expect to see them on the sidelines in years to come.
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