The couple comes to visit: Düsseldorf is waiting for Harry and Meghan

The couple comes to visit
Duesseldorf is waiting for Harry and Meghan

09/06/2022, 10:48 am

Officially, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan no longer represent the British Royal Family. But when they come to Germany, it will of course remain a special event. Just like now they are visiting Düsseldorf.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are coming to Düsseldorf today. They promote the Invictus Games, which take place in a year, Paralympic competitions for war veterans that the 37-year-old founded in 2014.

Harry and Meghan – officially the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – are expected in Düsseldorf at noon. First they attend a reception in the town hall, where the prince gives a speech and, like the duchess, signs the golden book of the city. Also present are the mayor of Düsseldorf, Stephan Keller, and the State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Defence, Siemtje Möller. The Invictus Games are organized by the city of Düsseldorf together with the German armed forces.

Afterwards, a boat trip on the Rhine is on the program. According to the organizers, Harry and Meghan want to talk to participants in the Invictus Games. A press conference will follow later in the Merkur Spiel-Arena, Düsseldorf’s stadium with seating for more than 54,000 spectators. A large part of the sports festival from 9 to 16 September 2023 will take place in this arena. Harry attends the press conference and gives a speech, but no questions are allowed. This shows that the prince is not a normal celebrity.

First Invictus Games in Germany

As a young man, Harry himself served in a crisis area in Afghanistan. When the British press became aware of the operation and reported accordingly, it was withdrawn for security reasons. A soldier who had lost an arm and a leg in a bomb attack while on patrol was also on the plane he was flying back to England. These and other encounters would have been a major contributor to Harry co-initiating the Invictus Games.

The first competitions were held in London in 2014. Orlando followed in 2016, Toronto in 2017, Sydney in 2018 and The Hague this year. In 2023, Düsseldorf will be the first German city to do so. The subject has become depressingly topical as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Visit is “accompanied by the police”

Harry and Meghan had broken away from the close circle of the royal family in 2020 and had moved to the other side of the Atlantic. The couple lives with their two children Archie (3) and Lilibet (1) in Montecito, California near Santa Barbara. Relations with the rest of the Royals are considered partially strained.

Home visits had become rare in recent years, not only because of the corona pandemic. Harry is also in court with the UK Home Office over whether and how he can still get police protection for himself and his family in the UK. The visit to Düsseldorf will certainly be “accompanied by the police”, a spokeswoman for the Düsseldorf police confirmed. After the day in the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, the couple have follow-up appointments in Britain.