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Prince Harry on stage during the 2023 Invictus Games Closing Ceremony in Düsseldorf, Germany.
London
CNN
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Prince Harry will return to the UK in May to celebrate a milestone anniversary of the Invictus Games, the biennial sporting competition he founded a decade ago.
The Duke of Sussex will deliver a reading at a ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London on May 8, to mark 10 years of the Invictus Games and their founding, he announced on Sunday.
The last time the prince was back in his home country was in February, on a quick visit after his father King Charles’ cancer diagnosis was announced.
Harry opened up about the diagnosis later that month, telling ABC’s “Good Morning America” that he “jumped on a plane and went to see him as soon as possible.”
“I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go see him and spend time with him, I’m grateful for that,” he added.
It was not immediately clear whether the prince would meet his relatives during his trip next month.
The Duke and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, moved to the United States in 2020. Since then, Harry, 39, has made several fleeting trips to the United Kingdom, including to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 and his father’s coronation last year.
It is not yet clear whether Meghan would accompany her husband to the Invictus celebration. But that could be a challenge for the mother of two since the event at St. Paul’s takes place two days after Prince Archie’s fifth birthday on May 6.
Buckingham Palace announced that Charles, who is still undergoing treatment, is expected to return to public duties on Tuesday. His medical team was reportedly “sufficiently satisfied” with his progress and “remains positive” about his recovery.
His schedule will be managed carefully and decisions regarding which events he will cover will be made later in consultation with his doctors. The king will not carry out a full summer schedule, the palace said, but he will host Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako for a state visit in June.
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Prince Harry talks to wheelchair basketball players at the launch of the Invictus Games at the Copper Box Arena in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in March 2014.
The Invictus Games were created by Prince Harry after his deployment to Afghanistan. They aim to support the recovery of injured and ill military personnel and veterans, according to the foundation’s website.
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The next Invictus Games will take place in Vancouver and Whistler in Canada in February 2025. More than 500 competitors from over 20 countries will compete in adaptive sports such as indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, swimming, rugby wheelchair and wheelchair basketball.
Winter sports will also be practiced for the first time at the Vancouver Whistler Games, including alpine skiing and snowboarding, Nordic skiing and biathlon, skeleton and wheelchair curling.
The games will be held in partnership with First Nations “in the spirit of truth and reconciliation with Indigenous communities,” Harry said on the games website.
Meanwhile, the prince’s office confirmed to CNN on Sunday that he and Meghan will travel to Nigeria in May.
In a press release, the Nigerian Defense Staff expressed “honor and joy” for the Duke and Duchess’s trip.
“During their stay in the country, they will meet military personnel and participate in numerous cultural activities,” the press release said.
The possibility of Nigeria hosting the Invictus Games in the future will also be discussed, according to the press release.
On his podcast ArchetypesMarkle has previously said she is “43% Nigerian.”
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News Source : amp.cnn.com
