Prince Harry Reflects on the Enduring Impact of the Invictus Movement at TIME100 Sports Event
Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, Founding Patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, has reflected on the life changing impact of the Invictus movement during his remarks at the TIME100 Sports event, speaking about the role sport continues to play in supporting the recovery of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans around the world.
Addressing an audience of athletes, leaders and changemakers, The Duke of Sussex looked back to the moment that inspired the creation of the Invictus Games following a visit to the Warrior Games in Colorado Springs in 2013.
"I didn't just see recovery. I saw possibility," he said. "I saw individuals develop an unshakable resolve that what happened to them will not be the end of their story."
"I left Colorado convinced that our wounded service personnel and veterans around the world deserved the same opportunity, and that conviction became the Invictus Games."
He spoke on how sport can go far beyond physical rehabilitation, restoring confidence, purpose, identity and connection for those rebuilding their lives after injury or illness as a result of service.
"Sport isn't just entertainment and competition. Sport is medicine," he said. "It reaches places that surgery cannot. Therapies sometimes struggle to and words often never will."
More than a decade after the inaugural Invictus Games, The Duke of Sussex reflected on how the Invictus Movement has evolved beyond the Games themselves.
"Over the last decade, we have watched the Invictus Games grow into a profound global movement," he said, pointing to the Foundation's year round work training coaches, providing adaptive equipment and embedding sport based recovery programmes internationally, including in Ukraine, which he said is "creating lasting global change."
The Duke of Sussex also took the opportunity to recognise two members of the Invictus Community whose stories embody the values at the heart of the movement.
He recognised Sergeant Brandy Evans, whose defining Invictus Games moment came when she put another competitor before herself, giving up her own chance of a medal to encourage a struggling British teammate to the finish line, where she would go on to win gold.
He also recognised Chief Master Sergeant Brian Williams of Team USA, who was wounded by an improvised explosive device while clearing a Taliban compound in Afghanistan. Today, Brian continues to serve by leading more than 200 airmen while competing at the Invictus Games.
"Brian is the very definition of leading from the front," Prince Harry said, as he invited the audience to recognise both competitors with a round of applause.
Reflecting on their stories, he dedicated the TIME100 recognition to "Brandy, Brian, and every Invictus Games competitor who gets up each day embodying resilience, leadership, and an enduring commitment to their communities and to their country."
Closing his remarks, Prince Harry reaffirmed the purpose that continues to unite the international Invictus Community.
"The Invictus Movement is a reminder that sport has the power to rebuild, to reconnect, and to redefine what is possible because sport restores the human spirit."