Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attended the 2023 event Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany, where they witnessed the intense wheelchair basketball game between Ukraine and Australia.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex not only cheered on the competitors from the stands but also joined in a spirited group wave.
During their visit, Meghan and Harry spent time conversing with the athletes, signing autographs, and posing for photos with both competitors and spectators. In addition to watching the wheelchair basketball, they also enjoyed a children’s event, where they presented medals and shared high fives with the young participants.
Prince Harry received a special gift from Team Australia: “budgie smugglers,” Australian slang for Speedos, adorned with the flags of the participating nations.
“It wouldn’t be an #InvictusGames if the Aussie’s didn’t gift our Patron, The Duke of Sussex a lovely piece of swimwear!” The Invictus Games Foundation captioned a photo of Prince Harry proudly displaying the revealing swimwear, with Meghan looking on with a smile.
This amusing tradition of gifting swimwear started at a previous Invictus Games event, when Harry humorously mentioned that such swimwear had come in handy during a U.K. heatwave in a letter to wheelchair tennis athlete Dylan Alcott in 2019.
The couple also took the time to connect with the Nigerian team. Prince Harry playfully noted that Meghan is supporting them, alluding to her discovery of her Nigerian heritage through a genealogy test in October 2022.
The Düsseldorf event marks the sixth installment of the Invictus Games, following previous editions in London, Orlando, Sydney, The Hague, and Toronto. Notably, at the Toronto event in 2017, Meghan and Harry made their first public appearance as a couple.
Founded by Prince Harry in 2014, the Invictus Games is an adaptive sports competition that brings together injured, sick, and wounded service personnel and veterans.
While Harry initially appeared at the 2023 event alone, Meghan joined him in Düsseldorf after flying in from Los Angeles. She is expected to remain in Germany until the Games’ closing ceremony on Saturday, following Prince Harry’s 39th birthday on Friday.