Prince Harry reveals Archie wants to be a fighter pilot, astronaut or cartoon cat when he grows up
Archie Mountbatten-Windsor was inspired by TV cartoon Octonauts to become an astronaut when he grows up, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle told a crowd at the Invictus Games opening ceremony.
Harry and Meghan formally opened proceedings in the sports competition for disabled servicemen and women earlier today in the Netherlands.
Archie switches between wanting to become a spaceman or Kwazii the daredevil cat from Octonauts, Harry explained.
‘If you are laughing, then you have seen it,’ the prince said.
Archie (left) poses with Harry, Meghan and little sister Lillibet (right) for a Christmas card
And he sometimes wants to copy his dad and become a helicopter pilot, obviously, Harry added.
Meghan took centre stage as she spoke of her ‘love and respect ‘ for her husband as she gave an emotional introduction at the ceremony.
She personalised her remarks by name checking her two young children in a glowing tribute to Harry, saying she could ‘not be prouder of my husband’.
Meghan told the audience at the Zuiderpark Stadium in The Hague that he had spent ‘many late nights and early mornings’ planning for the games. She also described Harry as ‘incredible’.
Meghan said she could ‘not be prouder’ of her husband for his work in the run-up to the games
After thanking the veterans present for their military service, she said: ‘Now it is my distinguished honour to introduce you will be excited to hear from.
‘He has spent many late nights and early mornings planning for these games to make them as perfect as possible for each of you.
‘I could not love and respect him more and I know many of you feel the same because he is your fellow veteran having served two tours of Afghanistan, and ten years of military service, and [is] the founder of Invictus Games and the father to our two little ones, Archie and LIili.
‘Please welcome my incredible husband, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex.’
Kwazii is a daredevil cartoon cat and the star of Octonauts, a hit animated show on CBeebies
When Harry took to the stage after the introduction he smiled broadly at Meghan returned to her seat and said: ‘Thank you my love’.
Prince Harry gets a de-brief: Duke poses with BUDGIE SMUGGLERS gifted to him by cheeky Australian Invictus squad
A sheepish Prince Harry posed with skimpy budgie smugglers gifted to him by the cheeky Australian Invictus squad
The Duke of Sussex laughed as athletes representing Team Australia presented him with a pair of swim briefs, as shown in photos from the reception shared by Aussie Invictus on Twitter
A sheepish Prince Harry posed with skimpy budgie smugglers gifted to him by the cheeky Australian Invictus squad.
The Duke of Sussex laughed as athletes representing Team Australia presented him with a pair of swim briefs, as shown in photos from the reception shared by Aussie Invictus on Twitter.
Harry even appeared to stretch out his new green-and-yellow budgie smugglers, emblazoned with ‘Team Aus Down Under’ on the back, to make sure that they are the right size for him.
Team Australia said it wanted to keep up the ‘tradition of gifting stunning new budgie smugglers to the Duke’ – a nod to the 2018 Invictus Games, when Harry tried to wear similar briefs over his jeans.
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He also referenced his son Archie in his speech saying they often talked about what he would want to do when he grows up.
But, he continued: ‘I remind him no matter what you want to be when you grow up it is your character that matters most and nothing would make his mum and me prouder than to see him have the character of what we see before us today.
‘You as a community have overcome immense challenges and you are healing and teaching the world as you go. You are people of resilience, and strength and of heart. You have the heart of Invictus.’
Harry and Meghan were criticised for bringing a Netflix documentary crew along for every step of their Invictus Games trip.
The royal couple’s visit marks their return to Europe after fleeing to California during ‘Megxit’, with the pair also reportedly visiting the Queen.
Speaking to MailOnline, body language expert Judi James explained: ‘As any reality star knows, it’s impossible to be followed closely by a camera crew without being aware of your body language responses and maybe ramping up the drama consciously or subconsciously as you internally analyse how each scene is going to look in the final production.
‘Emotions need to be visible and clearly translatable as you record your performance, which can often lead to over-played or over-kill rituals.’
Critics have accused the couple of ‘cashing in’ on the Games by allowing Netflix, with whom they have signed a $100million deal, into private meetings.
Some fear they are also ‘exploiting the Queen’, saying their top secret trip on Thursday for ‘clear the air talks’ with the elderly monarch and Prince Charles at Windsor Castle was to please their American producers and ‘spin’ their side of the row.
Last night, it was suggested the couple’s highly secretive meeting with the Queen may feature in the forthcoming documentary about the international sporting event for injured or sick military personnel and veterans founded by Harry.
It is also understood the couple flew from LA on a commercial airline along with their private bodyguards on Tuesday night, arriving on Wednesday afternoon and staying at Frogmore Cottage.
It is understood the Sussexes had at least one meeting with the Queen and also met with Harry’s estranged father, Prince Charles, who was at Windsor on Thursday morning to stand in for the monarch at the annual Royal Mandy service.
