Prince Harry meets with First Nation Canadians as he prepares for the Invictus Games in Vancouver
Prince Harry has met with a group of local people in Canada as part of the build-up to the Invictus Games in Vancouver.
The Duke of Sussex met with a group of youngsters from all Four Host First Nation on Wednesday ahead of the Invictus Games which will be held in Vancouver and Whistler in February.
Following the release of his cheeky tattoo stint, in which the prince appeared to get inked with the words Invictus by the rapper, Jelly Roll, Harry spent a much less painful day visiting the Musqueam Nation’s Little House in Vancouver.
Harry visited the Musqueam Nations, which is a First Nation whose traditional territory encompasses the western half of what is now Greater Vancouver, in Canada.
Harry is visiting the the Four Nations in Canada ahead of the games, which will be hosted within their territories.
During the visit, the duke chatted with young people from all Four Host First Nations: Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh, whose territory be the host to the 2025 games.
The meeting comes as part of a commitment from the games to ensure ‘the Four Host First Nations languages, traditions, protocols and cultures are meaningfully acknowledged, respected and represented in the planning, staging and hosting,’ of the annual games.
Harry was pictured beaming as he posed for a picture with a group of young people, all of whom are from the Four Nations.
Prince Harry (pictured) is visiting the the Four Nations in Canada ahead of the games, which will be hosted within their territories
Prince Harry has met with a group of young people in Canada as part of the build-up to the Invictus Games in Vancouver (pictured with a group of young people from all Four Host First Nations)
Afterwards, the prince stopped to chat with locals during the visit to Musqueam territory.
Harry was also pictured speaking to others who shared parts of their culture with the prince.
The Four Host Nations have said ahead of the games: ‘ As the Four Host Nations, we are honoured to be a part of this international event that celebrates resilience and the power of sport and supports the mutual journey to recovery.
‘We look forward to sharing our culture, traditions, and the breathtaking beauty of our lands with the competitors, their families, and all those who will visit for the Games.’
The prince is currently visiting the north American nation to promote the the Invictus Games, which take place in Vancouver and Whistler from 8 February to 14 February.
It comes after Harry took part in a sketch in which he appears to be given a tattoo by American music star Jelly Roll, as part of the promotion for the Invictus Games.
In the footage, filmed at New York tattoo parlour East Side Ink, the Duke of Sussex, 40, squeals as he sits in the chair and gets a fake inking during the skit.
Thought to have been produced in September, the light-hearted clip begins with Prince Harry being joined by country superstar Jelly Roll at the tattoo parlour on the Lower East Side.
An excited Jelly Roll tells the Duke: ‘Do you know I could not believe it when they called me and told me Prince Harry wanted to get a tattoo today, and he wanted me to give him his first tattoo?’
But a shocked Harry is quick to reply: ‘No, no, no, why are you wearing a glove?’, to which the singing star says: ‘We’re giving you a tattoo about the Invictus Games.’
‘No, I came here to ask you to do the Invictus Games,’ explains a surprised Harry. ‘There’s no tattoo in this. I can’t get a tattoo.’
But Jelly Roll is quick to come to a deal, saying: ‘I’ll play the Invictus Games. You just let me give you your first tattoo.’ Eventually Harry is convinced and replies: ‘Alright, screw it. Let’s go! Let’s do it. Where do you want it?’
‘We got to go for the neck,’ insists the singer in the amusing clip. But the royal suggests: ‘The neck? I was thinking like my lower back or my a***.’
Harry was also pictured speaking to others who shared parts of their culture with the prince
The prince is currently visiting the north American nation to promote the the Invictus Games, which take place in Vancouver and Whistler from 8 February to 14 February
Prince Harry has been filmed getting a ‘tattoo’ in a skit with American singer Jelly Roll to promote next year’s Invictus Games
The Duke of Sussex , 40, squealed as he sat in the chair during the stunt, which was filmed at celebrity New York City tattoo parlour, the East Side Ink
Harry apparently had the Invictus Games logo tattooed on his neck, alongside the American singer’s name (pictured)
‘No, nobody wants to see your a***, Harry,’ Jelly Roll is quick to fire back, adding: ‘This is for the world. I’m thinking like, here, let me just show you.’
The singer then ‘tattoos’ the Invictus Games logo onto the prince, as well his own name, to which a shocked Harry says: ‘You put your name on my neck… are you serious? Oh s***.’
Shared on X by the tournament’s account, the caption for the video read: ‘The most… inking of a deal in Invictus Games history.
‘Watch when Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex meets @JellyRoll615 at East Side Ink Tattoo. Don’t miss this duo reuniting in Vancouver #IG25 Closing Ceremony Feb 16. Get tickets before they sell out.’
Jelly Roll has been confirmed as the first headliner for the closing ceremony of next year’s sporting tournament.
In September, Prince Harry was spotted at East Side Ink in the city’s Lower East Side. The royal pulled up in a black SUV flanked by members of his security team and the NYPD, images obtained by Page Six show.
The tattoo parlour is renowned among celebrity circles, with the likes of ‘Avengers’ stars Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner all previously getting matching ink there.
East Side Ink, which opened in 1992, describes itself as one of the oldest tattoo parlours in New York City.
Thought to have been produced in September, the light-hearted clip begins with Prince Harry being joined by country superstar Jelly Roll at the tattoo parlour on the Lower East Side
An excited Jelly Roll tells the Duke: ‘Do you know I could not believe it when they called me and told me Prince Harry wanted to get a tattoo today, and he wanted me to give him his first tattoo?’
When it opened, the shop ‘catered exclusively to bikers and hard-core body-art aficionados’.
However, today it boasts of tattooing everyone from, ‘neighbourhood punks to Oscar-Winning celebrities’.
‘On any given day, you might find your favourite actor or musician getting tattooed right next to neighbourhood regulars,’ the website states.
The shop was listed as one of New York City’s best tattoo parlours on Time Out’s list for 2024.
Today’s clip comes after Prince Harry made his second appearance in Vancouver on Monday as he launched the Invictus Games school programme in Canada, with a heartwarming game of sitting volleyball.
The Duke visited Seaforth Armoury and met with elementary school children studying in the city as he talked to them about his annual adaptive sports tournament for wounded and injured service personnel.
His visit comes on the heels of a surprise solo appearance at the Canadian cup final just days after his wife Meghan Markle attended a friend’s glitzy party without her husband.
During his visit to the historic Canadian military facility on Monday, Prince Harry participated in a series of events – including a spirited game of sitting volleyball – and appeared deep in conversation with his young fans.
The Duke of Sussex (pictured right) during a ‘tattoo’ sketch with Jelly Roll (not pictured) at New York tattoo parlour East Side Ink, to promote the 2025 Invictus Games which will be held in Vancouver and Whistler in February
The Duke of Sussex (left) and Jelly Roll at New York tattoo parlour East Side Ink
Heartwarming photographs from the event showed Harry, who was dressed in a grey shirt, surrounded by smiling children as the group posed for photographs.
In a speech that was shared on X, Harry said the visit had a ‘profound impact’ on him, as he shared his hopes for the spirit of Invictus Games extending beyond its community ‘into schools in Canada and hopefully around the world‘.
‘Seeing them learn about the Invictus Games has had a profound impact on me, because this is where Invictus starts to go even wider outside of the Invictus community, into schools in Canada and hopefully around the world,’ he said.
Videos from Harry’s visit to Seaforth Armoury showed him surrounded by school children, as they appeared eager to share a high-five with the Duke.
According to the Toronto Star, the Invictus Games School Programme comprises educational resources about the tournament’s history and purpose – aimed at students from kindergarten to Grade 12.
For his trip to the armoury, Harry paired his collared shirt with a pair of dark trousers and grey sneakers – perfect for a day of sporting fun.
His visit to the armoury comes one day after he joined Canadian football fans to watch the Grey Cup in Vancouver on Sunday.
Harry waved at fans and gave a cheery thumbs up to the crowd when he turned up to the match before the Toronto Argonauts took on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Prince Harry appeared in his element as he participated in a sitting volleyball adaptive sport lesson with students from Shaughnessy Elementary School during an event to launch the Invictus Games school programme in Vancouver
The Duke of Sussex seemed to be popular with the school children who were all eager to share a high five with the royal
The Prince is currently in Vancouver to promote the the Invictus Games, which take place in Vancouver and Whistler from February 8 to February 16.
But the Duchess of Sussex, who has attended the Invictus Games with Harry since 2017, did not accompany him during the promotional visit.
Meghan, 43, was instead pictured partying in Los Angeles on Thursday at the celeb-loved restaurant Gjelina, where she supported the launch of her friend and A-lister hairdresser Kadi Lee’s new Highbrow Hippie hair wellness range. The Duchess is an investor in Lee’s new collection.
Harry is patron of the Invictus Games which he established in 2014 as an international adaptive multi-sport event for wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women.
Both serving troops and veterans are encouraged to compete as part of their recovery journeys.
Next year’s Invictus Games in Vancouver will be the first Invictus Games to include winter sports.
