Invictus Games stay updates: Meghan Markle steals the present from Prince Harry with VERY energetic show after his refined nod to her in a poignant speech  

The spectacular Invictus Games opening ceremony is now over – but it is only just before 3.30pm in Vancouver. What on Earth will the Sussexes do with the rest of the day?

After leaving the opening ceremony, Harry and Meghan will travel the short distance to Rogers Stadium to attend a NHL hockey match between the Vancouver Canucks and the Toronto Maple Leafs – one of the most eagerly awaited games of the season.

The couple will also attend a private reception in the evening as guests of the Canadian Chief of Defence Staff.

Harry’s speech came before Katy Perry took to the stage to give a showstopping performance of her hits.

Katy Perry brought the 40,000 crowd to their feet as she ran through a medley of her greatest hits.

The singer entered the arena with a military band before jumping up on a stage to six back up dancers.

The specular finale to the opening ceremony included a dance troupe operating giant yellow robot styled puppets.

Canadian singer Nelly Furtado had started the concert phase of the ceremony performing her hits with Katy Perry closing the two-hour show.

The American singer started with her inspirational anthem, which holds an empowering message for the athletes: ‘I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter dancing through the fire, ’cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar.’

She followed it up with older hits Dark Horse and Part Of Me and a recent 2024 song LIFETIMES.

The Prince finished off his speech with a quotation from American writer Toni Morrison – who his wife Meghan is a fan of.

The Duchess shared her personal list of 10 women who have changed her life and career in an interview with Glamour in 2017. Nobel Prize-winning author Morrison, best known for her first novel The Bluest Eye (1970), was one of them.

Having taken a class on the author at university, Meghan said at the time: ‘The first time I read The Bluest Eye, I thought, ‘Wow! She creates this world for you that you get to feel a part of.’

The end of the Duke’s speech went:

‘Someone once asked Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison how we survive whole in the world.

She replied: “Sometimes, you don’t survive whole, you just survive in part. But the grandeur of life is that attempt. It’s not about that solution. It is about being as fearless as one can, and behaving as beautifully as one can, under completely impossible circumstances.”

So as we embark on this year’s competition, here is my challenge to all of you:

Show the world how you behave under completely impossible circumstances.

Show the world your fearlessness.

Show the world the grandeur in your attempt at victory.

Show the world why You…Are…Invictus.’

As the Prince left the stage, he shot a quick thumbs-up of solidarity to the athletes watching on.

Prince Harry has spoken of his ‘sacred obligation’ to do everything he can to help military veterans like himself as he was given a hero’s welcome at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games.

As his wife Meghan looked on adoringly from the stands, he said those who had gathered in Vancouver were there in a ‘spirit of unity’ while in parts of the world there was division and difficulty.

Harry began his speech by honouring the four First Nations who are hosting the 2025 games and even attempted to speak a couple of words from the language of the Indigenous people.

To applause he said: ‘Hite-sap coo-cwee-lum ‘.

The four nations represented are Lilwat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh and their lands encompass Vancouver and the ski resort of Whistler where the adaptive winter sports will be held next week.

In his speech Harry said his ten years of military service, including tours to war torn Afghanistan, had shaped how he wanted to help veterans who had served their countries and returned wounded or suffering mental problems.

He said: ‘The Games were born more than a decade ago, from a promise I made to myself.

‘A promise to uphold my obligation—a sacred obligation after my own decade and privilege of military service —to do whatever I could to help my fellow brothers and sisters heal, and to champion everything we stand for.

‘Over the past decade I’ve lost count of the times we’ve heard you tell us that the Invictus Games saved you.

‘Respectfully, I disagree. Invictus didn’t save you. You saved yourself.’

Harry paid tribute to courage of the competitors who said they had a ‘spirit of fortitude and perseverance that can never be defeated.’

He said they were an inspiration to people.

‘At this moment, when there is no shortage of crises, no absence of uncertainty, no lack of weak moral character in the world, the values you embody—the way you carry yourselves—not only at the Invictus Games, but each and every day… your courage, your resilience, your humanity…illuminate a path forward for us all,’ he said.

‘And for that, we thank you.

‘Your leadership did not end when you stepped off the battlefield or took off the uniform. It endures.

‘The example you set is a compass for the world.

‘We need you. And we’ll always need you.’

During the address Harry was clapped and cheered by the 40,000 people inside the BC Place indoor stadium.

He told the spectators all those taking part were grounded in mutual respect, competing fiercely, but believing in one another.

The Duke of Sussex said the competitors ‘illuminate a path forward for all’ and called then ‘warriors all’.

The enthusiasm and scale of the 40,000-strong crowd can be fully seen in these impressive aerial shots of the ceremony.

The singer-songwriter is known best for his folksy 2022 song Stick Season, which led to his rise to stardom and earned him a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2023.

The official Invictus Games account posted on its story to apologise for audio issues affecting spectators watching the ceremony from the tournament’s website.

It said: ‘We are aware of audio issues on the livestream of the opening ceremony for the Invictus Games Vancour Whistler 2025.

‘We are trying to fix them and appreciate your patience.’

Harry chatted with wife Meghan as the ceremony really got going – and gave her a quick kiss too.

Meghan Markle shows off her Hollywood smile as she puts on a tentative and loved-up display with her husband Prince Harry at the star-studded Invictus Games opening ceremony tonight.

It comes shortly after US President Donald Trump took a swipe at Meghan branding her ‘terrible’ as he announced he had no plans to deport Prince Harry from the US amid a legal battle over his immigration status.

‘I don’t want to do that,’ Trump said on Friday. ‘I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible,’ he told the New York Post.

The Duchess of Sussex snapped an affectionate close-up of her husband on her phone as they watched the opening ceremony.

Our reporter has more:

Akin to the Olympic torch, the official Invictus flag was passed from previous hosts Dusseldorf to Canadian representatives at the closing ceremony of the last games in the German city two years ago.

As the flag passes into the stadium in Vancouver tonight, it marks the start of the nine-day tournament.

Martin brought the crowd to their feet with one of Coldplay’s biggest hits, Viva La Vida.

He joked that Prince Harry had tried to get many other performers to write the Invictus anthem – and he was his last resort.

But Prince Harry did not seem to think so – Chris Martin’s performance was met with an enthusiastic thumbs-up from the Duke.

Chris Martin penned the Invictus Anthem by setting the words of a poem to music. The poem in question was William Ernest Henley’s 1875 poem ‘Invictus’, which means ‘unconquered’ in Latin.

The poem goes:

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin performed the Invictus Anthem accompanied by choir and military band.

With two back up singers and dressed all in black he stood in the centre of podium to sing the anthem he had been asked to write in 2014 by Prince Harry when he launched the Invictus Games.

Martin joked to the crowd that it was so cold inside the stadium that it was ‘like playing a concert in a ‘frozen food section.’

Martin also performed Coldplay hit Higher Power.

Servicemen and women athletes danced enthusiastically while he performed.

Premier of British Columbia David Eby gave a speech at the opening ceremony, saying: ‘I’ll tell you as a politician, it doesn’t matter what the politicians say.’

He had to pause his speech because there was such enormous applause from the stadium at this.

It came in the context of his reminder to Canadians and Americans in the audience that they were in things together – despite the strained state of relations between their two nations.

Our reporter has more on the current trade war between Canada and the USA:

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon gave a speech to open the ceremony. She is Canada’s first Indigenous governor general.

The Duchess of Sussex got into the festive spirit of the Games, whipping out blue pompoms to show her support for the servicemen and women entering the stadium.

The national teams entered the stadium to a lively audience response in Vancouver (pictured, the Swiss, French and Australian teams). Ukrainian athletes (top picture) got a particularly loud cheer and an incredibly emotional standing ovation.

As the UK team’s entrance was announced a giant screen in the stadium cut to a shot of Harry and Meghan smiling and waving from the stands.

Harry wore a dark suit while Meghan was wrapped up against the cold in a white coat.

They sat in front of one of the leaders of the indigenous people on whose land the games are being held in Vancouver and Whistler.

Meghan whipped out her phone to record the boisterous atmosphere in the stadium.

Prince Harry showed off his skills on the dancefloor as he and Meghan Markle met with competitors ahead of this year’s Invictus Games.

The Duke of Sussex showed off his dancing skills as he met members of the Canadian team taking part in this year’s sporting event.

He also hugged a female competitor as he and Meghan had a breakfast meeting ahead of the opening ceremony.

The couple were warmly greeted by the Canadian team with Meghan posting video of the encounter to her Instagram story – complete with Harry seemingly attempting to do the ‘twist’.

Our reporter has more here:

The opening ceremony began with a parade of nations taking part in the week long event.

Germany, who hosted the 2023 games in Dusseldorf were first to enter the BC Place arena.

Two competitors from Team Afghan were given a huge cheer, but the loudest noise was reserved for the host nation Canada.

Giant inflatables of a whale and dolphin hovered above the military veterans from the ceiling of the stadium with the sea creatures signifying Vancouver’s links to the Pacific Ocean.

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin will join the likes of Katy Perry and Nelly Furtado to perform at tonight’s Invictus Games opening ceremony.

They will be joined by rising American popstar Noah Kahan and Canadian singer-songwriter Rozane Bruneau.

And it appears Prince Harry chose them personally, with Robyn McVicker, chief operating officer of the Invictus Games, telling PEOPLE magazine he had ‘input’ in the headlining acts.

Our reporter has more:

When returning from deployment in Afghanistan, Prince Harry watched the coffin of a Danish soldier be repatriated alongside three injured British soldiers. It made a real impact on him. He then visited the Warrior Games in 2013, an American competition which had wounded servicemen and women compete in adapted sport as part of their road to recovery. As a result, he was inspired to create his own international version of the tournament – the Invictus Games. The first one was held at the Copperbox Arena, in London’s Olympic Park, in 2014.

Since then, the competition has been held biennially – apart from a hiatus due to Covid in 2020 – in Florida, Sydney, the Hague and Dusseldorf. With this year’s competition in Vancouver and Whistler, the Games has now been hosted in Canada twice – the third edition of the tournament was held in Toronto in 2017.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might be getting the cold shoulder in California, but they can expect a much warmer welcome in Canada upon arriving for the Invictus Games.

Despite the freezing conditions they are likely to be welcomed by locals whose enthusiasm for the couple is in stark contrast to those across the border in the US.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s popularity has taken a nosedive with the US media turning against them. Residents in the super rich enclave of Montecito where they live in a £10m mansion have also reportedly been less than enthralled by their presence.

Here is our exclusive story with more:

Prince Harry was all smiles as he arrived at his five-star hotel for the start of the Invictus Games last night.

He grinned broadly from the back seat with his wife Meghan, who was casually dressed in a blue top and brown coat, as they arrived at the ultra luxurious Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be enjoying ‘rock star’ status during their stay in Vancouver after booking a £5,000 a night suite that comes with its own private elevator and rooftop patio.

Here is our exclusive story for more:

Meghan Markle gave an impromptu speech at a private Invictus Games event to say how she feels ‘at home’ in Canada and praised her husband for his dedication to the sporting event for disabled military veterans.

After giving Harry a intimate kiss on stage she took the microphone to talk about the importance of the event – and how their children in California were fully aware of what the game mean to the family.

She told an audience of military veterans and their families how much the Games meant to her husband saying they were his ‘family’.

Here is our story with more:

Hello and welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage of the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games 2025, which is due to start at 9pm GMT.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Nelly Furtado and Katy Perry are all set to perform at the BC Place stadium in Vancouver tonight in front of a sell-out crowd of 40,000 spectators.

And the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are also due to make an appearance together at the event.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest updates.