By Shelia Mckenzie-
Prince Harry And Meghan Markle have arrived in Germany to a red carpet welcome, where the Duke Of Sussex will give a speech later in Dusseldorf to mark one year until the competition is held in the city.
The couple were understood to be taking a brief sightseeing tour on the boat. they left the UK along with an entourage that reportedly includes bodyguards, a private doctor and medical equipment.
Members of the public cheered and clapped and took pictures of the couple as they were welcomed with a red carpet arrival. The warm welcome they received indicates that Germany has not been affected by the negative publicity the couple have received in criticism from the British press following a series of damning interviews they have given in the U.S.
Only recently. the Duchess Of Sussex gave a damning interview to The Cut Magazine which apparently offended the royal family. Among may things, she said she only began to be treated as a black woman after she married Prince Harry, stating that prior to her marriage to the Duke Of Sussex, she had been considered mixed race, sort of in between.
The duchess also said that the couple “upset the dynamic of the hierarchy” of the Royal Family “just by existing”.
She also spoke about Prince Harry’s damaged relationship with his father.
Her trip to Germany comes off the back of Meghan’s first in-person address in the UK since quitting as a working royal.
The 2023 Invictus Games will take place next September and the Sussexes are expected to meet officials and potential competitors a year out from their start.
e Harry will give a speech later in Dusseldorf to mark one year until the competition is held in the city.
Members of the public clapped and raised their phones to take pictures of the couple as they were welcomed with a red carpet arrival.
The trip comes off the back of Meghan’s first speech since quitting as a working royal.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Germany Image: PA MEDIAThe 2023 Invictus Games will take place next September and the Sussexes are expected to meet officials and potential competitors a year out from their start.
heir latest visit to Europe comes amid the fallout from an interview with the duchess given to US magazine The Cut which saw Meghan say the couple “upset the dynamic of the hierarchy” of the Royal Family “just by existing”.
She also spoke about Prince Harry’s relationship with his father and gave details of their lives in California – where they moved after stepping back as working royals in 2020.
On Tuesday the latest instalment of the duchess’s podcast, Archetypes, was released on Spotify.
In it she discusses marriage and the challenges of being a single, unmarried woman with actor Mindy Kaling.
Introducing the episode Meghan talks about how she planned her wedding as a 14-year-old for a school project.
“The message even at my feminist all-girls school was as traditional as it gets. First comes love. Then comes marriage.”
She adds: “The associations our society makes around unmarried women feels so outdated and I wanted to give them a refresh.”
Delivering a speech at the town hall reception the duke said he was “filled with such excitement” at the thought of having the next games against the backdrop of the River Rhine and called for people to “really lean in” to the event.
He said: “I can’t wait to hear the roar of the crowds, to feel the adrenaline of the competition and join in on the laughter and even the tears, happy ones of course, while we get to witness lives being changed right before our eyes.”
This year’s games were held in the Netherlands in April, where a film crew for a Netflix documentary called Heart Of Invictus – a series from Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Productions following people competing at the event – was seen close to the couple.
After the reception the couple will be taken along the River Rhine by boat from the reception to the Merkur Spiel-Arena for a press conference in which Prince Harry is expected to deliver remarks.
They are then due to return to the UK for the WellChild Awards, on Thursday, in London, where the duke is also due to speak
Delivering a speech at the town hall reception the duke said he was “filled with such excitement” at the thought of having the next games against the backdrop of the River Rhine and called for people to “really lean in” to the event.
He said: “I can’t wait to hear the roar of the crowds, to feel the adrenaline of the competition and join in on the laughter and even the tears, happy ones of course, while we get to witness lives being changed right before our eyes.”
This year’s games were held in the Netherlands in April, where a film crew for a Netflix documentary called Heart Of Invictus – a series from Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Productions following people competing at the event – was seen close to the couple.
The duke founded the Invictus Games to aid the rehabilitation of injured and sick military personnel and veterans across the world.
After the reception the couple will be taken along the River Rhine by boat from the reception to the Merkur Spiel-Arena for a press conference in which Prince Harry is expected to deliver remarks.
They are then due to return to the UK for the WellChild Awards, on Thursday, in London, where the duke is also due to speak
The pair stepped out hand in hand into the bright sunshine in Dusseldorf watched by a waiting crowd who had gathered at the front of the city’s Town Hall. The couple attended a reception there for an Invictus Games event, marking the one-year countdown to the Dusseldorf 2023 games. Meghan looked chic in a cream halter-neck knitted vest by LA-based designer Anine Bing, and beige wide-legged belted trousers, while Harry looked casual in a grey suit. The Sussexes signed a special guestbook known as the Golden Book, inside the Town Hall.
It is also believed to have been signed by the Queen during a visit to Dusseldorf in the 1960s, according to a city official.
Delivering a speech at the Town Hall reception, Harry said he is “filled with such excitement” at the thought of the next Invictus Games having the backdrop of the River Rhine.
Harry opened his speech with a few words of German and wiped his brow to applause as he smiled in relief, adding: “That’s about where it stops.”
He said: “I can’t wait to hear the roar of the crowds, to feel the adrenalin of the competition and join in on the laughter and even the tears, happy ones of course, while we get to witness lives being changed right before our eyes.”
He added: “In our most vulnerable moments, encouragement is essential. So, I ask that we all do our part to provide space for these incredible servicemen and women to be honest, courageous and true to themselves.”The couple also did a walkabout with the waiting crowd outside the Town Hall, shaking hands and chatting with people who had stood in the hot sun for some hours to see them.
Meghan posed for selfies with a number of people and there were chants of “Harry, Harry” from eager fans.
A number of people, understood to be Invictus competitors and their family and friends, stood on the top deck of the large ship, which had the official flags of the games flying upon it.
The couple were understood to be taking a brief sightseeing tour on the boat. they left the UK along with an entourage that reportedly includes bodyguards, a private doctor and medical equipment.
Brigadier General Alfred Marstaller, chief executive of the Invictus Games Dusseldorf, said those involved were “honoured” to welcome the couple for the event.
Harry founded The Invictus Games to aid the rehabilitation of injured and sick military personnel and veterans across the globe, by giving them the challenge of competing in sporting events similar to the Paralympics.
The Dusseldorf games will take place in September 2023, with more than 500 competitors from 21 nations across 10 sports.