The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Canada on Friday, just a few hours before they made their first appearance for the Invictus Games. They attended an evening reception for competitors and all of the support staff, and Meghan gave a lovely introduction to her husband. There are very few official photos from Friday’s event, but fans did ID Meghan’s dress as a chocolate-brown look from A.L.C. She looked gorgeous and I know the haters are big mad about it. People Mag had some coverage of their speeches on Friday:
Meghan Markle gave a heartfelt introduction to Prince Harry just hours after the couple touched down in Canada for the 2025 Invictus Games. On Friday, Feb. 7, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, took the stage to give an unscripted speech in Vancouver, Canada, at a welcome reception for athletes and their friends and families.
“I was not planning on speaking tonight,” Meghan remarked, wearing the A.L.C. “Willow” sleeveless midi dress in chocolate plum. “We just arrived a couple of hours ago, and I touched Canadian soil, and I went, ‘Oh, feels like home.’
“We are so excited and we also recognize most of you are probably so exhausted from how much travel you’ve done, how much adrenaline you have pumping, how excited you are for what is going to be one of the most outstanding, memorable, unforgettable and connected weeks probably for you and for your families,” she continued.
“We are just thrilled to be here and I would be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to introduce someone who means a lot to me and I know means quite a lot to all of you,” she added, speaking of Prince Harry. “You will see him throughout this week. You will see him at the games, you will see him probably curling with you and cheering you on at wheelchair basketball.”
The Duchess joked that Harry would take part in sports like skeleton sledding — “the thing I would never do” — to show his support for the athletes, all while building excitement for the days ahead. She revealed that in the period leading up to the event, he had been juggling being an actively involved father to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, while eagerly preparing for the sports tournament.
“With families…the big rush in the morning and getting ready for school and packing the lunchboxes and making breakfast and my husband is in all of that with all of us,” Meghan said. “And then he’ll be on his phone, and Archie will say, ‘Papa, why are you on your phone?’ and he’s like, ‘Because it’s Invictus, I’m getting ready for Invictus.'”
“It means so much to him,” Meghan shared. “You are his family, just as we are his family. And I hope you recognize how much of his heart he has poured into every single beat that has gotten all of you to this week that is going to be spectacular. I need you to know that, I need you to know how much it means to him and how much each of you mean to him. It is my entire pleasure and complete honor to introduce to the stage my husband, the father of our very sweet, excited children who are cheering you on from California, Prince Harry, founder of the Invictus Games, the Duke of Sussex.”
LMAO, Meghan is so good at this. I doubt she even had any notes. Like, when you look at her and listen to her public speeches, don’t you understand why those awful people wanted her to go? She was making them look bad, and they were sick with jealousy. She’s still making them look bad and they’re still sick with jealousy. Additionally, before the Sussexes’ arrival in Canada, People Magazine had a preview and confirmation that Meghan and Harry were traveling together for the games. People quoted “an onlooker in Vancouver,” who said: “I think it’s great that she’s coming. There is a lot of speculation about them and their marriage, but this reinforces one thing to me, at least — there is no separation. It looks like they present a united front when it comes to matters they both care about.”
Ah🥹when she introduces him🥹 “Father of our 2 sweetest excited children, my husband & FOUNDER Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex!😂😂 I Love me some passive Queen❤️.
Video Creidt: Resillient_one . pic.twitter.com/gAhqRvHhQ6
— SK 💃🏾🕺 (@Rimmesfk) February 8, 2025
What a beautiful welcome to the competitors and their loved ones at the Family and Friends Reception at the Nation's Home for #IG25!
It's tradition for all the Participating Nations to come together before the Opening Ceremony of the #InvictusGames and share a meal, laugh and… pic.twitter.com/AZi7gAlPdo
— Invictus Games Foundation 💛🖤 (@WeAreInvictus) February 8, 2025
Header photo courtesy of Invictus’s social media.
Another hit with sustainable fashion. This is what the ES wife should be doing instead of “I refuse to identify what I wear” as if it won’t be identified anyway.
That dress really looks good on her. I love the color.
They look great and happy . As always invict us is a huge success. Who was this onlooker people magazine quoted who apparently was buying into deranger talk. I think the keens will now produce a new video to distract
The tabloids are running separation rumor 7/24. If you follow any gossip news, you are exposed to the lies unfortunately. It happens every time when they are out of spotlight. Then, they do an event and everyone finds out the gossips were lies. It is groundhog day since they left that island.
At this point it’s partially the responsibility of those who choose to believe the obvious lies, because they hadn’t been out of the spotlight for more than a couple of weeks. We just saw them together during the California wildfires. It’s been eight years of lies about this couple and their relationship and never once have any of the media or trolls gotten it right. So if people need to see them together linking hands and kissing every week or day just to believe that their relationship is solid, then it’s on the gullible people willing to listen to known liars and haters instead of the reality that has been right there in front of them for eight years.
Well said, Nerd. At this point, it’s willful ignorance.
Yeah, I get baffled at how people can even think they might be separating. It’s just so wholly made up. Created by the BM. But then again, I don’t read that stuff.
I cried listening to Harry’s speech.
Meeting Meghan and his release from the RF is a blessing which has allowed him to do his mission which is to inspire and uplift others and be a crusader for truth and justice.
It is a heavy burden to bear and all of us must stand by them with an abundance of love and support.
I am actually so impressed with her public speaking skills because as someone who struggles to even speak in front of a small group of people I genuinely marvel at how comfortable she seems.
Seems like those skills are rubbing off on Harry too. If you compare the way he stood there yesterday with the very first games in London it’s like night and day.
I think a more appropriate comparison would be Invictus Orlando. Invictus London was his first time, it was obvious that he hadn’t even prepped. Possibly thought someone else would be giving the speeches. He was more used to being in someone else’s shadow while that someone else took credit for the work Prince Harry had done. But then Invictus Orlando happened, he worked with Americans that didn’t defer to the RF, he worked with the Obamas that probably encouraged him to come out of his shell. I think at that time, he decided to get a couch and by the time he came to Orlando 2 years later, he was 2 years older and mature and much wiser. And his speeches at Orlando were very, very good and super inspiring. From there on, his speech at Invictus Toronto and then as a newly wet at Invictus Sydney were both evidence of the hard work he had put in and how far he had come. I think Prince Harry has come a very long way and all credit should go to him for the incredible work he has done on himself.
Meghan is sooo good at these off-the-cuff speeches!! It really speaks to how well she knows the subject, how she pays real attention to the causes her and Harry are involved in and in this particular case, how proud she is of her husband!!
On a shallow note, I did detect long-ish bangs (fringe) on Meghan. A new hairstyle is exciting!!
I’ll join you in the “shallow” waters. There was a side part! And it was maybe even a tiny bit shorter? But yes, her speech was so good, lovely and sweet.
Her speech was just so full of love for her husband and all that he does for the Invictus games and the veterans. Truly wanted him to have all the love and accolades for his vision for Invictus and the veterans and their families.
Such a beautiful event for the veterans. They all look so happy with their families. I remember one of the veterans said to DM once that look what he built for us. This global event is still going and each year stronger is the result of his leadership. On a superficial note, Harry is really using his remaining hair very efficiently. You can’t tell he is a Windsor man from the front profile looking at his hair 😭😭 I thought he would get treatment by now after moving to USA. I guess, he likes it that way. Good for him.
Criticised for losing his hair if he doesn’t and criticised if he does.
I mean, yeah, I am guessing the tabloids would mock him to the sky if he did something about his hair. I am not criticizing, a lot of men get treatment for hair loss, especially those who are rich. It isn’t something shameful. So, it is surprising to me he still didn’t.
Harry definitely strikes me as someone that just accepts that he is going bald. My husband is in the same boat and it doesn’t bother me at all. I know there are some fans that care about Harry going bald but I don’t think Meghan is one of them. It’s just a part of getting older.
Meghan’s off the cuff speech also highlights Kate’s deficiency in public speaking, another dig at William for making a bad choice for a wife and future queen.
@Aquarius64 I suspect that Meghan is a natural but she’s also a good student. At first I found public speaking daunting but I did small group work learning how to improve skills amongst fellow student who were in the same boat. I needed for my own peace of mind and career to master that skill, and any skill worth having takes time and effort and a lot of practice. Kate loves the limelight ; think how she could be centre stage if she dedicated herself to improve these essential skills to be an effective speaker. She has all the time and resources to master public speaking. Diana had her own voice coach why has Kate been so remiss?
I suspect she’s been remiss because she knows she can’t be fired from her “job” regardless of her performance. Same goes for her husband. BM will fawn no matter what. No accountability.
I believe that Meghan is a natural at public speaking. I was impressed when I saw a video of her giving the commencement speech for her middle school graduating class when she was 14. Her calmness and ability to speak off the cuff to a room full of classmates and parents at such a young age was impressive. I suspect the reason that Kate hasn’t used a voice coach is because of what happened when Diana was able to use a voice coach. Not only did she outshine the other royals even more than before but if I recall correctly she was able to use that as an opportunity to secretly reveal her truth to Andrew Morton.
I think Kate likes having her picture taken, but that’s a different kind of limelight.
Kate had a coach, to learn how to speak posh. Other than that, she isn’t interested, I guess. Otherwise, why would anyone in BRF stop her from learning how to speak in public, if they didn’t stop her from faking an accent?
I think the kate speech coach was debunked along with the idea of princess lessons. Kate manufactured her fake, weird, made-up speech pattern on her own. Her inability to give a coherent speech in her only language is her own fault, no one else’s.
@alteya, who debunked it? Unless we get the info from Kate’s own memoir, I don’t believe it. The media is trying to clean up Kate’s past since they need to prop up W&K against H&M. I don’t think, you can just learn to speak like that yourself unless you are educated actor or something.
No one in the BRF speaks with that accent, no one in the Midd family speaks with that accent. No one who is actually posh speaks like that. Kate’s whole painful fake posh accent is her trying to copy other people and failing. She didn’t take voice lessons for it, no one would teach her to speak like that much of an idiot.
The idea of speech lessons and princess school were made up by her stans and the RRs, just like the Malta Lie. Another excuse for Keen to be lazy for years, ‘but she’s taking princess lessons leave her alone’.
Multiple married ins said it outright – the BRF doesn’t teach you anything. You learn by doing.
I always remember how hard Diana worked at improving her public speaking skills. At first she was “shy Di” and would mumble out a few sentences peering up from under her bangs with those big blue eyes, but by dint of hard work she became a pro at it. Kan’t has more than a thing or two to learn from Diana — hard work pays off. But no, she’s too lazy, too indifferent and too stupid to care.
I don’t think that the theory about Kate taking lessons to learn Posh has been debunked. Several sources, including the Royals and or the Middletons mentioned it 10 and 15 years ago, and it seems everyone agrees she did it for close to 10 years.
Public speaking implies hard work, and it’s not something Kate or William are willing to do.
LOL, you believe what the Midds and Keen stans have been peddling, or what excuses RRs make up for Kate? Again, see my comments above. No one on earth speaks with the painful, fake accent that Kate does. It isn’t from voice lessons, it is from her trying (and failing) to speak like aristos and royals. It is another example of her being shallow as a puddle, focusing on appearances only and failing at that too.
I still want to know who told Meghan when she joined that family that she be 50% of herself. I like that in her speech she let it be known that Archie and Lili weren’t going to be there. The British press and the derangers were expecting them to be there. I suspect that Meghan will stay a few days and then go home but return for the closing ceremony.
Amy Bee, if I recall correctly, it was Camilla who advised her to shine less and be 50% in order to better “fit in”.
Camilla was right. If Charles and William are what’s considered 100%, then imagine what 50% would be like – it would be like Kate.
Probably Kate was told to just be herself: mumbling, unprepared and lazy but you’ll receive life long acclaim as long as you get in bed with the press!
She is such a natural at making speeches and making people feel at ease. Yes not everyone is great at public speaking but some people are just made for it like Meghan. She draws you in and it’s so nice to listen to her.
This made me lol; ‘There is a lot of speculation about them and their marriage, but this reinforces one thing to me, at least — there is no separation.’. The projection by the BM is unbelievable hahahaha. Focusing SO hard to avoid seeing what’s in right front of their eyes.
Being happily married doesn’t sell advertising space.
Which is weird because happily married is a rare thing in the BRF and Hollywood. It should be newsworthy.
I’m firmly established in Team side-part, so this was good to see.
I loved Meghan’s dress, Harry’s suit and both their speeches, and the way Meghan let everyone know they should no longer speculate about where to find the kids during IG.
Wishing everyone good luck from afar, after having been lucky enough to be able to attend the IG Düsseldorf.
Another thing she made clear, was that her husband is the Founder of IG, trolls out there saying Cain, Chucky and Unable were partners.
Harry left Head Start to the work shy duo, and that was the last you heard of it.
Angela Latrine claimed that Mike Tindel was taking over, IG because Chucky wanted him to.
A huge disaster if Mike gets hold of it. I doubt charles likes mike. I think huevo does.
There is no way anyone is taking over Invictus from Harry. He founded it and later raised the funds to make it an ongoing event. It wasn’t something the BRF gave it to him as a busy work. Anyone speculating about it is lying and the funny thing, they know they are lying, they are just trying to make his work less impressive.
William did try to steal it a couple of times. After Harry and Meghan left? Their charity work, including Invictus, was left on the W&K website for months. The site was completely redesigned but things like Invictus were left as projects of the leftbehind’s Foundation. It took months for KP to remove those projects.
Around the same time KP tried to file trademark on the name of a mental health app Harry had been working on with MOD for over a year. MOD had to slap down KP to get them to back off.
I mean, Will can try to get credit for it by being shady on socials, but you can’t steal a foundation? He is the founder of Invictus, how is BRF gonna take over? That is not how it works, they have a board running it. It is a fully professional global foundation. Is the board supposed to kick the founder out and appoint Will or Mike🤮 as the patron? It is all fairytales for the derangers. That wouldn’t happen.
William tried to steal the Hubb money, I’m sure he had staff investigate any way they could take Invictus.
Invictus received a small grant from William and Harry’s original Foundation. It was because of that initial grant that some people started claiming Invictus was the property of the Foundation not Harry.
They really are a dazzling couple.
Seriously gorgeous!
It is a shame his father will probably not experience this huge accomplishment again before he passes on. So many wasted moments from that family. To see the lines of people to get in all these years later was incredible.
I absolutely love these two people and their huge hearts and mutual love . Admiration . Support and respect for each other.
Has the King send his good wishes and support for IG like our PM has?
No, he hasn’t.
I used to think he was a half decent chap, but not since these problems, As the head of the armed forces he had a duty to wish them luck. He could easily have done so without mentioning Harry.
Hope Kaiser does a post on Harry’s inspirational speech at the opening ceremony. Meanwhile RS Locke and Invictus have the video on Twitter.
Sorry! Saw the link to the speech on the other thread.
RS Locke on Xhitter?
They travelled together to BC? Why the hell wouldn’t they? And they show a united front when it’s something they both care about? Seriously? Why would they write about this couple that way? Absolutely nothing in their shared life so far indicates they are less than a truly committed couple, committed to each other, their children, their family.
It’s so incredible how these two shine their great Lights and hearts.
And, lol actually accomplish a great deal – their reach is far.
Compare the two and it is striking the difference and tragic. Willie and Mean Girl could actually do so much but refuse.
Thank you Harry. Thank you Meghan for caring so much for so many.
I’M SO GLAD SHE’S ON IG
I wish she wasn’t on a Zuck-owned platform. It is against the principles they’ve been highlighting about the dangers of certain SM platforms. Meta is anti democracy.
I love all the positive coverage and enthusiasm. Both gave such heartfelt speeches and it’s fun seeing Meghan’s Instagram reels. She truly is a supportive partner. Of course there are those on Salt island saying she makes it about her because she’s is part of it. She is the founding patrons wife! Why shouldn’t she be included and meeting all the attendees and athletes. They did so much in their first 24 hours there. I love their energy and dedication.
I think they are doing that because Can’t has been sidelined from EarthShot. So they want to make it seem inappropriate for Meghan to be part of the IG.
I love that she said that Harry juggles school prep activity (the school run equivalent) with his Invictus work.
See, it’s possible to do both!
I’m sure it wasn’t a veiled jab at Willy (I doubt Meghan even thinks about her brother-in-law) but I enjoyed it anyway.
The only people who believe the rumors about their marriage are the one who live in Delululand.