Invictus Games: Prince Harry lauded wounded Nigerian military personnel

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan continue their visit to Nigeria with a game of sitting volleyball with wounded soldiers.

The 39-year-old Duke of Sussex, and his wife arrived in Africa’s most populous nation on Friday in a trip to grace the Invictus Games, an international sporting event that the UK Prince started a decade ago for troops injured in action.

In Abuja, the couple spent time with Nigeria Unconquered, which compiles the country’s Invictus Games team.

Apart from the sporting event, Prince Harry and Meghan are to speak at a reception hosted by the Nigerian military’s chief of defence staff.

The duchess will later co-host a Women in Leadership event with Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director general of the World Trade Organization.

At an event for military families in Abuja, the nation’s capital, Harry said he met 50 wounded troops on Friday on a trip to northern Kaduna and saw how their injuries impacted their lives. Despite that, many were still putting up a face full of smiles.

“There were two of the 50 that were a little different,” he said. “They had smiles on faces. One of them was doing push-ups. I was intrigued.”

He added: “They knew their life wasn’t defined from the injuries of their past – that is what Invictus is all about and that is what your new centre will be about.”

Prince Harry launched the Invictus Games, a sports event for military personnel wounded in action, in 2014.

In 2023, Nigeria featured at the games, winning gold and bronze medals and becoming the first African country to participate in the event.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have unwavering ties with the West African country.

In 2022, the Duchess of Sussex said that genealogy tests proved that she is 43% Nigerian.