It's the final day of the Invictus Games! Ahead of tonight's closing ceremony, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were on hand in Invictus Village again this morning to present a medal to a woman who has inspired us all.
Harry and Meghan arriving.
Last night, the Duke and Duchess were joined at the sitting volleyball finals by Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs of the United Kingdom Johnny Mercer. Speaking to Forces News today, Mr Mercer said: "I pay enormous tribute to him {Harry} and everything he's done. You can see lives he's changed, literally there right in front of you. Personally, I'm incredibly grateful to him; the nation is incredibly grateful to him for what he's done in this space. I think it's a legacy he can be incredibly proud of."
The Minister of State praised the games as "a festival of recovery", adding, "The transformation stories I've seen, I don't think I have seen anything else quite like it."
"The nation is incredibly grateful to him"
— Forces News (@ForcesNews) September 16, 2023
Minister for Veterans' Affairs @JohnnyMercerUK paid tribute to Prince Harry and a "legacy he can be proud of" with the #InvictusGames.
Mr Mercer joined Prince Harry and Meghan at the @InvictusGamesDE
sitting volleyball final🏐.#IG23 pic.twitter.com/HwRVT3H5sH
Scenes at today's archery competition.
Archery is the final event of the @InvictusGamesDE and Team UK 🇬🇧 will be adding to their medal total.
— Forces News (@ForcesNews) September 16, 2023
What remains to be decided is what colour they are up against Team Romania 🇷🇴 in the mixed team open recurve 🏹🥇 match.
The crowd is loud and ready!#IG23 @PoppyLegion pic.twitter.com/BLBs5dsPw4
Harry and Meghan had the honour of presenting Taira from Team Ukraine, a woman whose "courage and resilience" was singled out by Prince Harry during the opening ceremony. From braving the front lines in her home country to surviving captivity, Taira's journey to Invictus has been truly unique. I've seen videos and clips throughout the week and I'm continually struck by her positivity.
Those who watched Heart of Invictus may have seen Taira practicing her archery. I'm delighted to say she took the bronze medal today.
A group hug.
A group hug with Taira 🥹🇺🇦🤍 pic.twitter.com/QwQdxzQHOk
— Iris 🦆 (@IrisTheeScholar) September 16, 2023
The Duchess congratulated and hugged Team USA member Danielle Pothoof at the swimming presentation.
It's a medal and a hug for Team USA swimmer Annika Nadine Hustler.
More on Annika's story:
'Hutsler enlisted into the Marine Corp in 2017 and quickly after that, she started to feel some pain on her right foot. At first, she didn’t think it was something to be worried about since she was involved in boot camp. However, the discomfort continued and was misdiagnosed with a stress fracture. Medics decided to treat her, but after months of continuous pain, they chose to do an MRI and found a tumor on her right foot.
The complication was that the tumor I had typically didn’t happen in the foot, rather on the brain and spinal cord,” Hutsler explained. “Therefore, the doctors weren’t pretty sure how to treat it. They tried shrinking it a couple of times, but that didn’t work. Then they tried removing it but that just caused infection and nerve damage. I was just miserable. I spend time on a wheelchair, crutches, even on a walking boot over 400 days. This wasn’t living for me anymore.”
After 14 months of several attempts to remove the tumor, Hutsler decided to amputate her leg.'
Annika has spoken about the power of sport and how she found recovery through participation "beneficial", adding, "I wasn’t a very athletic person growing up, but I realized that I loved being active and trying out all these new things that I never even had thought about trying before losing my leg."
Meghan on presentation duties.
It was an event full of heart and a fitting end to the sporting competition.
Once again this year, Meghan was excited to take over Reading Hour in the Kids' Arena.
Also just in, the Duke and Duchess, along with the Invictus Games Foundation, took the opportunity to wish a very Happy Birthday to competitors, families, staff and volunteers who celebrated a birthday during the week. Harry celebrated his 39th in style yesterday with a rapturous showering of love. The image below included those from the Invictus Foundation: David Wiseman, JJ Chalmers who has been fronting coverage for the BBC, and Beth Herlihy and Clara Loughran (the ladies bookending the photo in striped tops). The former Kensington Palace staffers have been by Harry and Meghan's side every day this week and deserve a round of applause for a job well done.
For Meghan's first ensemble of the final day of the games, we're once again seeing her stay true to her love of neutral, classic, understated styles.
Another view.
The Duchess wore Cuyana's Silk Classic Trench in sand. Cuyana is a women-built company with a strong focus on sustainability and preserving heritage craft traditions. By the end of this year, 100% of their products will be made from sustainably made materials, which are often recycled or reused. Cuyana works with H.E.A.R.T ((Helping Ease Abuse Related Trauma), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping female victims of abuse by donating apparel and accessories to their mission.
Described as "an elevated interpretation of the classic layer, made from light and luxurious Crêpe de Chine Silks with two belt options in silk and lambskin for a versatile piece". It's available in XS - XL here.
It was teamed with Cuyana's Silk Paperbag Pants in sand. Made in a cropped length from crepe de chine silk, they are currently in stock here.
Meghan wore her Aquazzura Purist 105 pumps in nappa leather. The Duchess has owned the pair for several years.
A closer look at the distinctive pineapple logo.
Meghan accessorised with her Lanvin Arpege Sleeper earrings.
Until tonight then, dear readers! The Closing Ceremony promises to be one to remember.
You always do such a beautiful job with your posts, charlotte
ReplyDeleteI second your comment, bluhare! I am waiting for my work deadline to pass so i can sit down and leisurely read the whole week's worth!
DeleteThank you for the wonderful coverage! There’s been so much heart, passion, frothy fun and substance in these games and your coverage! It’s just been so wonderful to follow along!
ReplyDeleteLove this outfall. It feels quintessential Meghan. I love that her consistency. Cuyana was the brand that donated 500 bags to Smart Works.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Charlotte, for all your work keeping us informed with such a kind and detailed perspective ... and on a completely different note, looking at the close-up photo of Meghan's shoes in this post makes my feet hurt! How does she do it?? (From a lifetime wearer of flat shoes....)
ReplyDeleteSorry, didn't mean to publish that comment as Anonymous - I'm Sue, from Canada.
ReplyDeleteI also really love this outfit!!
ReplyDeleteYes, thank you Charlotte for this excellent coverage of Invictus. I only know about Invictus thanks to you.
ReplyDeleteRenee
This was beautiful and I can't wait to go to Invictus and see Prince Harry and Meghan and support all these amazing and inspiring veterans when it comes to Vancouver in 2025. I love all the First Nations integration for Canada as this is all unceded territory here. The moment they honoured the medic Taira from Ukraine was so special
ReplyDeleteMeghan looks amazing - love her casual look. So few of us could get away with some of these outfits because I think to get away with shorts when over 40 you have to have very good skin and good legs!!! (Yes I am jealous 😂). But whilst some are wishing for colour I like the fact that she is not trying to stand out but blend in. Her smile and Harry’s smile of course is infectious. LRB
ReplyDeleteGreat coverage thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the update.
ReplyDelete