Harry’s in corner of US vets

WASHINGTON: Britain’s Prince Harry and US First Lady Jill Biden paid homage on Monday to US veterans in a virtual ceremony for the Warrior Games, a sports competition for wounded US military veterans that was cancelled this year because of the pandemic.

The 2021 Games had been due to begin in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday, but were cancelled last month as Covid-19 surged in the southern US state.

The Warrior Games “inspired me to create the Invictus Games” , a similar multinational sports event for wounded service members and veterans, said the Duke of Sussex (pictured) at the virtual event.

Harry, a combat veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan, first attended the US Department of Defence Warrior Games in 2013 in Colorado. He founded the Invictus Games the following year.

“These games are so important,” said Harry, speaking from California where he is based with his wife, Meghan Markle.

He said the event was “ultimately the reminder of service both at home and overseas”. “It is about caring for our physical as well as our mental fitness of those that have sacrificed so much,” he said.