Prince Harry stepped out for his first public engagement since his surprise return to the UK last month - and HELLO! was on hand to catch up with the royal.
The Duke, 42, spent Thursday evening at the Invictus Spirit Awards, an incredible event held to honour the bravest and most resilient former servicemen and women - and HELLO! had the honour of being the exclusive media sponsor of the inaugural awards.
© Getty ImagesIt was a reunion of sorts for Harry, and he was clearly in his element as he moved around from table to table during the event, stopping to talk and give selfies to anyone who wanted one.
James Corden, Elton John & famous faces back the Invictus Awards
He was especially elated to see comedian James Corden, who was on hand to open the evening. During his speech, the former talk show host joked: "It is an honour and a favour to be here tonight", prompting Harry to burst out laughing before later embracing his friend in a huge bear hug.
© Getty ImagesOther friendly faces included Mark Dyer, DJ and singer Sonique, who has known him for many years, James Haskell and Ross Kemp, a member of the Invictus Games advisory board.
And it wasn't just those in attendance who showed their support for Harry - many famous friends donated lots for auction, including Michael Bublé, Elton John and David Furnish, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay's Chris Martin.
Raising £1.7 Million: Inside the Inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards
Indeed, Harry received such a warm welcome that when he came to speak to HELLO!, he admitted he was a little hot and sweaty and had makeup all over his tuxedo from hugging.
The event - which also saw Harry make a private donation of £10k - raised some £1.7 million, and Harry was clearly elated.
© WireImage"It's meant everything," he told HELLO!'s Jessica Callan inside the grand hall at Greenwich's Old Royal Naval College. "It’s been many weeks, many months and years in the making. So to have a room full of, what, 340 people, and Invictus competitors from all around the world and their families, from every time zone that the world has to offer… we did it.
"We got to tell some incredible stories and celebrate some amazing heroes. So, yeah, I feel really, really happy that everyone came out and showed their support. It’s been an incredible evening."
An Update on Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet's UK Return
We also asked him how life has been since settling back into the UK with wife Meghan and their two children, Archie and Lilibet. Asked if he had a highlight since his return, he joked: "My highlight so far? Oh, I don’t know. Would I dare share it with you?
"The last two weeks have been… it’s been eventful. But, you know, we’re getting stuck into the work. Kids are in school. We’re happy. And as I said, it’s great to be back on British soil, and looking forward to Birmingham next year for the Invictus Games that’s coming up."
© InstagramHarry also shared his delight at being able to have his family with him as part of the Invictus journey back in the UK.
"It's great," he told us. "It’s wonderful to be back on British soil and really nice to see so many old faces and friends that came to this, and new faces as well, and new donors. And most of all, I guess, my Invictus family.
"It’s been a very special journey over the last 12 years. So, yeah, all families."
Prince Harry in tears over Everest climber Hari Budha Magar's Invictus win
Of course, the spirit of Invictus was at the forefront of the night - and it understandably brought with it some emotional moments.
One of the winners on the night was Hari Budha Magar, who received the Invictus Resilience Award. Hari lost both legs above the knee in an IED blast in Afghanistan in 2010, followed by multiple surgeries and a period of deep psychological struggle that brought him to the brink of suicide.
However, he was able to rebuild his life with a newfound love of mountaineering. Hari became the first double above-knee amputee to summit Mount Everest, and in 2024 completed the mountaineering “Grand Slam” by climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents - an achievement accomplished by fewer than 100 climbers worldwide, and never before by someone with such severe injuries.
Following an emotional speech, Prince Harry was seen wiping away a tear, and he was the first on his feet to give Hari a standing ovation.
Read Prince Harry's full Invictus Spirit Awards speech
Prince Harry gave a heartfelt speech on the night, in which he spoke about the spirit of the Games.
"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the first ever Invictus Spirit Awards. Tonight is truly a first for the Invictus Games Foundation. We have gathered many times around competition. Tonight, we gather around character. Because there is something we have witnessed again and again over the last twelve years that deserves to be recognised in its own right: the Invictus spirit.
'It is difficult to define, but unmistakable when you see it. Courage without bravado. Strength without ego. Service without expectation. It is getting knocked down by something you never saw coming — injury, illness, trauma, loss — and somehow finding a reason to get back up. And then, very often, reaching back to help someone else do the same. That is what tonight is about.
© InvictusReflecting on 12 Years of Invictus
"Many of you know the story of how Invictus began. In 2008, flying home from Afghanistan, I travelled alongside three seriously injured British servicemen and the coffin of a Danish soldier. That flight stayed with me because it helped me begin to understand two things about the military that would shape the rest of my life: it gives you purpose, identity, belonging, a team; and in a matter of seconds, injury or illness can take it all away.
"Years later, after seeing the Warrior Games in America, we brought an idea back to London. We had less than a year to make it happen — which was probably useful, because it gave everyone less time to tell us it couldn’t be done. In September 2014, more than 400 competitors from 13 nations came together for the first ever Invictus Games. Now 12 years later, thousands have benefitted. We have 26 nations in our community, and the games are coming home!
"And something happened that was bigger than sports competition. People who thought a part of their life was over began to see that something else might just be beginning. Their families, too, saw loved ones return to them in mind and spirit. That has been the story of Invictus ever since. Competitors have become Paralympians. Veterans have climbed the world’s highest mountains, crossed its most unforgiving landscapes, broken world records and raised extraordinary amounts of money for others. Some of us in this room trekked to the North Pole and South Pole together 15 years ago. Others here went solo to the South Pole, climbed Everest, rowed the Atlantic, and skydived with just one limb.
"Those stories are fantastic, but the achievements that matter most aren’t always the ones that make headlines. Sometimes victory is getting out of bed or asking for help. It is finding work, reconnecting with your family, or putting a uniform away and discovering that your service — and your purpose — did not end with it.
A Message to Wounded Veterans: "Your Service Matters"
"Those victories don’t come with medals. But they deserve to be celebrated. They are the Invictus Spirit. Tonight you will hear extraordinary stories, but I hope we don’t simply applaud them. I hope we recognise what they ask of us. Because Invictus was never created so that the rest of us could sit back and admire resilience. It was created so that people who have served know that when their lives change, we don’t disappear. They served us. We must continue to show up for them, and I guarantee you, we all benefit when we do.
"And to the veterans here tonight, and those wherever you are around the world, I want to say this as one soldier to another: your service matters. What you gave in uniform matters. And people far beyond the military community who see in your example what courage, resilience and leadership actually look like.
© Getty Images"People are watching. The teammate who is struggling. The young soldier wondering what life after uniform might look like. The family trying to find its way forward. You may no longer wear the uniform, but you still lead. Every time you get back up, reach back for someone else, or turn what happened to you into purpose for others, you are serving again — just differently.
"And that matters far beyond our military community. National resilience isn’t built by governments alone. It is built in communities - by people who know how to endure, adapt, lead under pressure and look after one another when things get tough.
Looking ahead to Birmingham 2027 and South Korea 2029
"At a time when societies around the world are being tested, the Invictus spirit has something to teach all of us. This community doesn’t just demonstrate resilience. It helps build it. Never underestimate what your example gives to the world. And this work doesn’t end when a closing ceremony finishes and the stadium lights go out.
"Yes, we are gearing up for Birmingham in 2027 and Daejeon in South Korea in 2029, but Invictus happens every day, all over the world. In rehabilitation centres, homes and communities. In the phone call between two veterans when one is struggling. In the family rebuilding alongside the person they love. And in someone deciding, perhaps for the first time in years: I’m not done yet.
"That is the work your support makes possible. So tonight, get to know this community. Ask questions. Listen to their stories. Celebrate them. And then - please dig deep. Because tonight is a celebration, but it is also a fundraiser, and we do need your help. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of ATCO, what we raise tonight will go directly towards supporting wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans across our international community.
"The need is not historical. Conflict is not historical. Neither are the injuries — visible and invisible that people carry home from it. They are happening now, which means our responsibility is now. And I hope that is what these awards come to represent. Not celebrity, not sympathy, and not recognition simply because something terrible happened to someone.
"Something much more powerful: what they did next. The person who rebuilt when rebuilding seemed impossible. The family who refused to give up. The teammate who came back for someone struggling behind them. The veteran who turned their own experience into service for somebody else.
"That is the spirit we are here to recognise. My hope is that years from now, when somebody receives an Invictus Spirit Award, people will immediately understand what it means: character, service, choosing purpose over despair and community over isolation. It means that whatever life took from you, it did not get to decide what you became next.
"Because Invictus has never been about what happened to you. It is about what you choose to do next. And none of us does that alone. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it: this is the best community in the world. Not because of what we have achieved together, but because of how this community shows up for one another.
"So tonight, we celebrate the people who kept going and the people who stood beside them. And we make a promise to those still beginning that journey: You will not have to do it alone. That is the Invictus spirit. That is what these awards will stand for. And that is what we begin here tonight. Thank you to all the artists for giving your time and talent tonight. To ATCO, thank you for believing in this community and making tonight possible.
"And to every veteran, serving member and family member in this room: this night is yours. Welcome to the Invictus Spirit Awards. And now, it is my great pleasure to welcome Nancy from ATCO to the stage."
