Prince Harry has Invictus Games athletes 'nearly in tears' with surprise video call

Competitors from the U.K. for the upcoming Invictus Games were in for a motivational boost when Prince Harry appeared via video call to give them an inspiring message ahead of the competition in the Netherlands.

The 37-year old dialled in from his Montecito mansion in Santa Barbara, California to speak with the athletes during their final training camp before they travel to The Hague for the event. A video of the call showed the players erupting into cheers when the royal appeared to congratulate them on their achievements so far. He then gave them an emotional talk as he said, "For a lot of you, you've already, as far as I'm concerned, you've already won gold by just getting to this point."

He added, "The fact that you are sitting there now wearing that strip and you are able to wear the Union Jack on your arm again, that means so much to every single one of you."

Team UK captain Rachel Williamson, a 33-year-old RAF veteran from Rutland, Leicestershire, told The Sun"that the call was such a surprise" but said it was "amazing to see Prince Harry again." She shared, "I absolutely loved it, it was like speaking to another member of the Invictus family" and said that the Duke of Sussex "just says the right stuff."

She explained, "The main thing he said was, 'Yes, you lost your uniform but now you get to wear this brand new uniform again' and that hits all of us so deep."

Vice-captain Kelly Leonard chimed in and admitted, "I was nearly in tears when he gave us a team talk. It was really rousing." She said that the royal's "message was about what Invictus is about, that resilience and that journey." She also expressed her happiness to see the royal as she added, "It was really wonderful to see him."

Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014, an international multi-sport event in which injured, wounded, or sick veterans and armed service personnel participate. The first event took place in London, in Orlando in 2016, in Toronto in 2017, and then in Sydney in 2018. The pandemic put the games on pause but will return this year at The Hague from April 16 to 22.