Prince Harry has given a rare television interview — and it’s to a Canadian outlet, no less.
In less than ideal circumstances for a conversation (bless the poor sound person trying to capture audio as the crowd roars around them; subtitles were often needed) CTV’s Omar Sachedina first sat down with the Duke of Sussex on the sidelines of a wheelchair basketball game at this week’s Invictus Games, held in Vancouver. Meghan Markle sat on Harry’s other side, clapping and watching the game as the men spoke, or in conversation with the person seated on her other side.
That location, there in the thick of the games, may have been strategic on the prince’s part.
“One of the things I care most about is the atmosphere,” Prince Harry told Sachedina when asked how he was feeling at that moment. “Because maybe it doesn’t mean that much to them, but for me to be able to create the atmosphere for them makes them feel like superstars.”
Letting the entertainment of it all take centre stage, highlighting how much fun these games are for competitors and spectators alike — rather than Harry seated in what looks like a hotel room, where the more formal interview later took place — almost emerges as a key reason he gave this interview at all.
“The harder to thing to do is merge the general public with the military, and for them to feel like, ‘I don’t have any connection to military families and it was incredible!’” Prince Harry continued. “We never knew how good the sport was going to be in the early days, and every iteration of the games has gotten better and better.”
Here are the most interesting tidbits from Prince Harry’s interview with CTV News.
1. Canada has been “really good to us”
In 2020, Meghan and Harry sought refuge on Vancouver Island in the aftermath of their decision to step down as working royals. Back in the province five years later, Harry reflected on his gratitude to Canada.
“Canada has been really good to my wife over the years,” he says, a nod to Meghan’s time spent living in Toronto filming Suits. “It’s been really good to us as well. Certainly in 2020, it was amazing to be in Canada, Vancouver Island, and be in the local town and feel protected.”
The couple, with their then-toddler son Archie, were apparently there for “more than six weeks before anybody found out,” says Harry. “We were bumping into people the whole time. Nobody told anybody … there’s not too much of a media, or a pap culture, on Vancouver Island.”
2. Harry talks to his kids about his mother’s legacy
When asked he talks to his kids about an event whose backdrop is the legacy of war, Harry says that it can be “hard, because kids don’t always ask the right questions, there’s no filter.” He says he’d never shut that line of questioning down. Instead, he tries to explain it.
“Archie was asking about landmines, because I was talking about how some of these guys were blown up,” says Harry. “I found myself talking to him about mines at five years old. Interestingly, it gave me a chance to talk about my mum.”
Here, Harry is referring to Princess Diana’s narrative-shifting work, where she walked through a field loaded with landmines in Angola, to raise awareness around the issue.
“He then wanted to see videos and photographs of his Grandma Diana doing her thing for landmines all those years ago,” he says.
3. Parenthood is “amazing,” but “it’s a journey”
On the subject of being a parent, Harry’s words to Sachedina (expecting his own first child soon) are that “it’s amazing … I think one or two kids is probably enough. I know some people who’ve got five and I just say, well, that’s your own fault.”
More seriously, he continues: “Having kids is amazing, but it’s a journey. Every single day, every single week they grow and change. And I love the questions that they ask, and the experiences and the challenges that they give you.”
4. The Invictus games give Harry a sense of purpose
As a veteran who has served two tours in Afghanistan himself, Harry calls the games his “fix,” praising the supportive community it creates. “There’s a lot of weight that gets taken off your shoulders,” he says. “A lot of these individuals have felt very lonely … you’re led to believe that the problems you have encountered, or the issues you’re carrying, are somewhat unique to you in that service. When you come to the games, you realize that’s not the case at all.”
He says “it might sound weird,” but he gets a great deal out of hearing the stories of the people who are competing. “I get my own cure and confidence from them, knowing that what we’re doing is working, being able to serve part of my purpose — and being able to use the position, the platform, the spotlight in giving these guys all the attention and the opportunity.”
5. Harry did some online education on Indigenous issues before the games
These games are co-hosted by four First Nations, in addition to Vancouver and British Columbia. Harry, who started his opening speech with thanks to those nations, told Sachedina that he spent “20 hours online” educating himself before this game. “And I’ve had many, many conversations — and my wife joined us for some of them as well — with the First Nations. That’s been incredible.”
The ultimate goal, he added, was to “share this platform for them to continue the work of the reconciliation process.”
