Prince Harry brought a personal account of leaving military service to NATO’s Military Committee on Thursday, October 1. Speaking by video to the committee in Brussels, the Duke of Sussex described the loss of purpose he felt after leaving the British Army and called for sustained support for people returning from service, particularly those who are wounded, injured or sick.
“When I hung up my uniform, I felt as though I had lost not simply a profession, but part of my purpose and identity,” Harry said, according to People. He founded the Invictus Games in 2014 and told the committee that the work now extends beyond a sporting event to recovery and rehabilitation throughout the year.
Invictus Games Foundation leaders Richard Smith and David Wiseman presented the organization’s Ukraine program. The foundation says it plans to establish 21 Invictus Recovery Spaces across the country by 2027, bringing adaptive sport into existing veterans’ hubs and rehabilitation facilities. The 21 spaces are a future target, not a completed network.
The presentation builds on a previous briefing to NATO’s Military Committee in October 2024, when Harry also joined by video. The current discussion puts attention on what happens after service and on access to recovery closer to veterans’ communities.
Related reading: Prince Harry Launches Invictus School Program After $2.2 Million Gala
Sources: Invictus Games Foundation, October 1; People, October 1; NATO, October 30, 2024.
Image: Prince Harry and Meghan at a Team U.S. and Team Ukraine Invictus welcome event in The Hague, April 2022. Archival photograph: U.S. Embassy The Hague / George Deswijzen, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain). The image does not depict the NATO briefing.
