The Scottish Mail on Sunday

A frank admission by star of Army TV show... as inspiratio­nal royal helps brave ex-soldiers HARRY’S GAMES

Veterans from prince’s charity lined up for Charles’s Mey event

- By Kirsten Johnson

has been an inspiratio­nal champion for Britain’s brave soldiers, wounded and disabled on the battlefiel­d.

Now Prince Harry will join his father to give wounded veterans the chance to compete in Charles’s favourite Highland games.

The veterans will compete in caber tossing, hammer throwing and tug of war after Harry’s Invictus charity joined forces with the Mey Highland Games.

The first Invictus Highland Games is scheduled to take place at the Castle of Mey, Caithness, home of the late Queen Mother, this summer.

The annual Mey Games – for which Prince Charles is the chieftain – was once one of the smallest events on the Highland games calendar.

But up to 10,000 spectators are expected this year after the Invictus Games Foundation, founded by the Duke of Sussex in 2014 to ‘harness the power of sport to inspire recovery’, agreed to help promote the event. Former servHE icemen and women from around the world will descend on John o’Groats in August to take part in the new games and Prince Harry will try to attend the games.

Organiser Captain Richard Otley said: ‘A few years ago the Mey Games was dying and we were only attracting a few hundred visitors – it was more like a village fete.

‘Last year we decided to try something new and got paraathlet­es involved to hold Scotland’s first adaptive and gender inclusive Highland Games, which drew a crowd of almost 3,000.

‘This year we are expecting closer to 10,000 spectators.’

He added: ‘Prince Charles is always actively involved on the day and it would be fantastic if Prince Harry came along this year.’

A spokesman for Invictus said: ‘We welcome the inclusion in the Mey Games of internatio­nal participan­ts to increase participat­ion in sport for recovery.’

 ??  ?? SPORTING: Harry tackles Invictus wheelchair rugby
SPORTING: Harry tackles Invictus wheelchair rugby
 ??  ?? CHIEFTAIN: Charles and Camilla at games
CHIEFTAIN: Charles and Camilla at games

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