Harry got a hero’s welcome from the British public and was surrounded by his late mom’s family during a rare visit to his home country on Wednesday. In case you missed it, Prince Harry made a rare return to his home country of the United Kingdom this week for a very special occasion.
The Duke of Sussex visited London for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games Foundation, which he founded in 2014. The Invictus Games are a Paralympic-style event for wounded service people and veterans. Harry’s strained relationship with his brother, Prince William, and father, King Charles III, has been well-documented in recent years, and neither relative showed up to support Harry at Wednesday’s event at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Charles and his wife, Camilla, were instead hosting a garden party at Buckingham Palace, which was attended by other members of the royal family, including Princess Anne and Prince Edward. A spokesperson for Harry previously told HuffPost: “The Duke, of course, is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.” Meanwhile, William did not attend Harry’s Invictus celebration because he conducted an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle earlier in the day.
But while Harry’s brother and father were not by his side for the event, he was not short of family members offering their support, with relatives from his late mother Princess Diana’s side attending the anniversary.
In addition to Diana’s siblings, Harry’s uncle Charles Spencer and auntie Jane Fellowes, Harry was seen reuniting with several of his cousins. Charles’s children Louis and Lara Spencer were among the 10th-anniversary attendees, as well as George McCorquodale, the son of Diana’s other sister, Sarah McCorquodale, who isn’t thought to have attended.
Harry was also given a hero’s welcome from the British public as he made his way into the cathedral for the celebration, with crowds of people lining the street hoping to get a glimpse of him.
When he arrived, Harry was loudly cheered by onlookers, and he later took the time to stop and interact with as many well-wishers as he could.
This huge display of love and support for the Duke is a stark contrast to the well-documented way that the British press has treated him and his wife, Meghan Markle, in recent years — not to mention the reported issues between him and his brother.
As a result, people were left feeling pretty emotional by the whole thing and took to social media to share their reaction.
One person quoted part of Charles’s oration from Diana’s funeral, where he promised his sister: “I pledge that we, your blood family, will do all we can to continue the imaginative way in which you were steering these two exceptional young men so that their souls are not simply immersed by duty and tradition but can sing openly as you planned.”
“Today some ‘mighty men of valour’ supported Prince Harry, esp. Uncle Spencer,” they added alongside the quote. This struck a chord with people and quickly racked up thousands of likes and retweets, with one person writing: “Brought tears to my eyes knowing that #GoodKingHarry is well supported by his mother’s family!”
“The Spencers are H & M’s family, too. I was so happy to see them there today. I’m still smiling about it,” another wrote. “I remember so well Charles Spencer speech in W.A. that day. A man who has kept his promise and family in the Spencers H can rely on.” “There is something incredibly beautiful about Princess Diana’s family showing up for Harry today,” somebody else tweeted. “He is still loved and supported by so many. He still has family who uplift and adore him.”Quote tweeting this, another wrote: “I am actually emotional.”
“That was such a beautiful thing the Spencer’s did for Harry. Made me emotional to see their support,” one more wrote. Referencing the cheers from the crowd, somebody else said: “All the ‘We love you Harry!’ was lovely to hear. I heard one yell ‘tell Meghan we love her!’” Meghan did not accompany Harry on his brief trip to the UK, but she is expected to join him when he travels to Nigeria later this week.
