Prince Harry surprises fans at 'Heart of Invictus' screening in California

Prince Harry left fans speechless when he showed up to a special screening of his Netflix docuseries "Heart of Invictus" in California on Monday. His appearance was shared on social media by some of the audience members.

The Duke of Sussex ran down the steps of the AMC theater in Chula Vista in San Diego County when he was called to the front. He beamed at the surprised crowd before he gave a speech and even joked about the audiences' attire saying, "It's nice of you to dress up for the occasion. Suits and ties — no?"

He then proceeded to share his gratitude to those who came adding, "I just want to say a huge thank you for coming out tonight."

Instagram user @dtopk9, who was at the screening, shared a video of the royal's speech and photos of him mingling with the audience along with the caption, "So this happened last night!"

"You guys get to see 'Heart of Invictus,' which has been the last two years in the making, sooner than anybody else," the 38-year-old also said in his speech.

Prince Harry added, "So it'll be coming out on Wednesday. You guys get to watch it tonight, or at least two episodes (to) sort of whet the appetite for the rest of it. But it's nice to be back in San Diego."

The screening was reportedly organised by the United Service Organisations (USO) and the Invictus Games founder attended to show his support. It appeared that some of the audience members were invited by the organisation including children's book author Grace Ann Skidmore.

She wrote more about the experience on her Instagram along with a selfie she and her friend took with the duke. She shared, "Last night I was invited to a special screening of Prince Harry's new documentary series 'HEART OF INVICTUS' at AMC CHULA VISTA, CA and got to meet the Duke of Sussex, Harry Himself."

Skidmore added, "Bonnie (Pham) tagged along as my plus one thanks to the USO! ❤️ As a military spouse, USO volunteer, and someone who is passionate about military advocacy this event was one of a kind and I am so thankful for the experience." As for Prince Harry, she said "he is every bit as gracious in person as in the media in his mission to support veterans across the world."

Pham shared a separate video on her Instagram writing, "my friend Harry had to show up and crash the party." She also wrote over a video of her and Skidmore looking giddy, "When it's a random Monday night and Prince Harry crashes the premiere of his show in random Chula Vista."

Pham added to their selfie with the royal, "What a show, what a man, what a surprise!"

There was no press around during the private screening and afterwards, Prince Harry got to join the audience for a group photo. Chula Vista Today called it an "unexpected and delightful surprise" seeing Prince Harry not just give a speech. He also sat down with the audience to watch the series.

"Heart of Invictus" premiered on Netflix on Wednesday, Aug. 30. Prince Harry, along with the Invictus Games Foundation (IGF) serves as executive producer of the docuseries under his and Meghan Markle's Archewell Productions company.

Meanwhile, Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara, who worked together on the Oscar-winning short "White Helmets," serve as directors. The series follows the injured service men and veterans as they compete in the 2020 Invictus Games, which took place in 2022 in The Hague, Netherlands. Prince Harry, as well as Meghan Markle, also appear in the series. Next month, the Sussexes will travel to Dusseldorf, Germany for the 2023 Invictus Games which will take place from Sept. 9 to 16.