The Duke of Sussex has “returned to his own people,” said a war veteran friend, while the radiant Harry seemed calm with his wife, Megan, on the first full day of the Invictus Games.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex posed for photos and met and hugged contestants at the Zuiderpark event in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The couple spent Easter Sunday morning on the track and field and were in the front row for sitting volleyball.
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Jaco van Gass, a Paralympic gold medalist and former Invictus athlete who suffered life-threatening injuries in the British Army, sat with them.
The 35-year-old van Gass met 37-year-old Harry in 2011, when the duke joined the record team of wounded soldiers, he was part of this transition to the North Pole without support.
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Image: The Duke of Sussex with members of the Ukrainian team
He said it was “amazing” to see Harry and Megan, 40, adding that it was “wonderful” to catch up with them and that they were “friendly as always”.
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He said Harry had told him he was having a “really, really good time”.
Mr van Gass said: “In principle, Invictus is his family. There are so many celebrities he hasn’t seen in a while, and again in front of all nations, only to catch up with them again.
“He went back to his own people, he went back to an environment where he’s so natural and he cares. I think that’s the most important thing – that great depth of care he has for the games.”
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Image: The couple of sitting volleyball
The Duke founded the Invictus Games to help rehabilitate wounded or sick soldiers and veterans from around the world by enabling them to compete in Paralympic-like sporting events.
Harry, who had served in the British Army for a decade, was stripped of his honorary military roles after the Duke and Megan retired from their royal duties.
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The event is especially important for the couple, who chose to make their first public appearance together at the Invictus Games almost five years ago.
Mr van Gass said he had spoken briefly with Megan.
Read more: Harry and Megan met together in Europe for the first time after retiring as senior members of the royal government
Image: Harry and Megan did not attend the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service in London last month
“She’s having a good time,” he said. “She’s in really good shape and she really enjoys all the events – it’s so inspiring.”
The couple, now based in California, visited the Queen in Windsor on Thursday after arriving from the United States.
Image: The Duchess of Sussex was “in really good shape and really enjoying all the events”
Harry and Megan’s travels to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands come after the couple was absent from the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service in London last month.
The couple has two young children, Archie, who is three years old next month, and Lilibet, whose first birthday is in June.
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