The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Harry attends service for games anniversary
The Duke of Sussex attended St Paul’s Cathedral yesterday for a service of thanksgiving to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games.
Prince Harry joined a congregation of about 1,000 inside the London landmark to give a Bible reading.
Among the guests were Diana, Princess of Wales’s siblings Lady Jane Fellowes and Earl Spencer, and former Army officer Mark Dyer, who acted as the duke’s mentor following his mother’s death.
The duke was warmly greeted by the Dean of St Paul’s, the Very Rev Andrew Tremlett, before being escorted to his seat under the cathedral’s great dome.
Crowds had gathered around crash barriers to see the duke’s car pull up, and there was a throng of journalists, photographers and cameramen covering his every move.
It was previously confirmed that he would not be meeting his father during his brief UK visit due to the King’s “full programme”.
Prince Harry spent Tuesday in London attending a summit that reflected on the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, which stages sporting events for wounded, sick or injured veterans or serving military to aid their recovery.
He said: “Sometimes you... look back and go ‘Look at what we’ve done’.
“But also given the state of the world, there is so much more to do and I think a lot of uncertainty, but what we’ve created is a global community.”
Yesterday’s service began with the hymn Praise My Soul The King Of Heaven as the King hosted the first Buckingham Palace garden party of the year a few miles away.
Prince Harry sat next to Mr Dyer and exchanged a few words with his uncle, Earl Spencer.
The Dean of St Paul’s told the congregation: “We gather this evening to offer grateful thanksgiving for the work of the Invictus Games Foundation, and celebrate the tremendous achievements of the numerous competitors across 23 nations.
“We give thanks for the inspiring vision and compassion that formed the foundation and, chiefly, for the resultant decade of transformational work.
“We lament the pain, cost and indignity of war and terror, and pray for a world where justice shall reign and where the nations will find their longed for unity.
“We recall, with admiration, the skill and determination of those who seek to repair, rehabilitate and reclaim the lives of those living with serious illness or injury, changing and saving lives.”