Prince Harry On Visit To Grandmother Queen Elizabeth Ahead Of Invictus Games: 'It Was Great'

KEY POINTS

Prince Harry said he and Queen Elizabeth talked about the Invictus Games during his and Meghan Markle's visit to the monarch last week
The duke shared that the Queen had "plenty of messages for Team U.K."
He said he believes his grandmother would have loved to join them at the Invictus Games if she could

Prince Harry is sharing details about his and his wife Meghan Markle's recent visit to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently in the Netherlands for the 2022 edition of the Invictus Games. But before they headed to The Hague for the sporting event, which kicked off Saturday, the couple made a pit stop in the U.K. and reunited with the 95-year-old monarch at Windsor Castle.

One of the topics they talked about was the Invictus Games, the international sporting event Prince Harry started in 2014 for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans.

"She had plenty of messages for Team U.K., which I have already passed on to most of them," Prince Harry told the BBC Monday of his grandmother. "So, it was great to see her. I'm sure she would love to be here if she could."

Prior to last week's visit, Markle had not returned to the U.K. since March 2020, when she and Prince Harry attended their final royal engagement before they officially stepped back as working royals.

Prince Harry has returned to the U.K. twice following their royal departure. He attended his grandfather Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021 and the unveiling of a statue of his late mother Princess Diana two months later.

Markle was unable to attend both occasions as she gave birth to her and Prince Harry's daughter, now-10-month-old Lilibet Diana, in June last year. The couple also shares 2-year-old son Archie.

Royal biographer Tom Bower, author of "Rebel Prince: The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles," recently speculated that Prince Harry and Markle had an agenda in visiting the Queen, accusing the Sussexes of exploiting the monarch for their Netflix documentary.

"I have no doubt it was all done for their Netflix documentary," Bower told Mail Online. "The Queen's advisers failed to protect her from being exploited by the royal family's worst traducers, while the Sussexes exploited an old, unwell woman to boost their credibility and coffers."

But royal commentator Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, told The Sun that she believes the visit to the Queen was Prince Harry and Markle's way of offering "an olive branch" to the royal family, which she thinks "must have taken a lot" for the Sussexes.

She also noted that the timing of the visit was perfect because "Maundy Thursday is a very special day for the Queen as it is about forgiveness."

The 2022 edition of the Invictus Games runs until Friday. The games will next take place in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2023.