The Duke and Duchess of Sussex enjoyed an intimate dinner with close friend Michael Buble and his wife Luisana on Saturday February 8, after celebrating the opening of the 2025 Invictus Games.
The group dined at Vij's, an Indian restaurant south of downtown Vancouver, where they visited in 2024, and where Prince William and Princess Kate have also dined.
The four were also joined by one of Meghan's close friends, Chantelle Humphrey and her husband Luke; Chantelle was Meghan’s first ever assistant when she lived in Canada working on the TV show Suits. Chantelle and Luke had also joined Meghan and Harry in their suite at the NHL games earlier in the evening.
© Vikram Vij"They are amazing, extremely beautiful, and very friendly," Vikram Vij, the owner and head chef told HELLO!
"Meghan is awesome and loved all the food. She remembered the chilis from last time, and I was totally impressed because she knew bhindi is the hindi word for okra."
© Vikram VijPrince Harry had the lamb popsicles - a rack of lamb with fresh mint - and after dinner they visited the kitchen where they had were "gracious and grateful".
"They ate a lot," said Vikram, sharing that they also had his favourite snack, a schnitzel with butter chicken sauce, and that Meghan was surprised to learn about their pasta dish, cooked with prawns and coconut milk curry sauce.
Invictus Games: a quick guide
© Getty Images for Invictus GamesWhat is it?
A multisport international event for wounded, injured and sick military personnel, both current and former, which aims to aid recovery and adaptation to a new way of life.
Who founded it?
Prince Harry founded the event, inspired by the rehabilitative impact of the Warrior Games in the US
When did it start?
The biannual event was first held in London in 2014 and five more editions followed: Orlando 2016, Toronto 2017, Sydney 2018, The Hague 2020 and Dusseldorf 2023.
Where and when is the 2025 event being held?
Whistler and Vancouver, British Columbia Canada, 8–16th February.
How many people are competing this year?
Around 550 serving and forming serving military personnel from up to 25 nations.
Which sports are played?
The core sports are swimming, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, indoor rowing, and sitting volleyball, but the 2025 edition features winter adaptive sports for the first time including alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, Nordic skiing, skeleton, and wheelchair curling.
How can you watch?
The Invictus Games will be broadcast live from the organization's official website and YouTube channel. It will also be available on ITVX in the UK and TSN in Canada.
Vancouver received a lot of snow fall this last week, and Vikram shared that the parking lot "was covered in snow and I was holding Meghan's hand as I didnt want her to slip, I was so worried she would slip!"
Prince Harry "was wearing fancy shoes, and I said, "Do you want me to hold your hand?""
© Vikram VijThe Montecito locals have been friends with Vancouver-born Michael and his wife Luisana for several years, with the famous Canadian singer also joining them at a curling event in 2024 at Hillcrest Community Centre.
© Karwai TangDay one of the Invictus Games kicked off with an incredible opening ceremony that saw Harry and Meghan on their feet dancing.
The two exchanged a series of loving looks throughout the event at BC Place in Vancouver as they enjoyed performances from Coldplay's Chris Martin, Katy Perry and Nelly Furtado inside the packed BC Place Stadium.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageThe Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans. The inaugural event was held in London, followed by Orlando two years later, Toronto in 2017, Sydney in 2018, The Hague in 2022 and Dusseldorf in 2023.
Video from inside the opening ceremony showed many of the competitors from the 23 nations becoming emotional as Harry spoke of their courage and spirit.
"Over the past decade I’ve lost count of the times we’ve heard you tell us that the Invictus Games saved you. Respectfully, I disagree. Invictus didn’t save you. You saved yourself," he said.
"It was you, who pushed through the doubt and despair. You, who summited your own mountain and brought us along with you. It was you who kept going even when you didn’t think you had any more to give. We didn’t do that. You did."
After the ceremony Harry and Meghan watched NHL team the Canucks play the Maple Leafs; Harry dropped the puck alongside two members of the Canadian Invictus team, Lee Jarratt and Andre Crocker, and Canucks Sports & Entertainment Chairman Francesco Aquilini.
