King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands joined the Duke of Sussex at the wheelchair basketball final in The Hague’s Zuiderpark.
Princess Margriet, the King’s aunt, and her son, Prince Pieter-Christiaan, also attended the event that saw the Dutch team face off against the American team. The Dutch royals were seen cheering hard for their team, but Team Netherlands wasn’t able to defeat Team USA, who won 51-9.
The Dutch monarch also met with his country’s team and spoke to them about their experiences.
King Willem-Alexander also attended the Closing Ceremony on Friday evening.
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS – APRIL 22: Jeffrey Vroegop of Team Netherlands and Kevin Greene of Team United States compete in the Gold Medal match between Team Netherlands and Team United States during the Wheelchair Basketball on day seven of the Invictus Games The Hague 2020 at Zuiderpark on April 22, 2022 in The Hague, Netherlands. (Photo by Lukas Schulze/Getty Images for Invictus Games The Hague 2020) 
Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images for Invictus Games The Hague 2020
Mart de Kruif, chairman of the Invictus Games The Hague 2020 organising committee, spoke at the Closing Ceremony and reflected on the past week of friendly competition: “We are especially pleased that we have managed to focus on the participants of the Invictus Games and their Family & Friends. That was the starting point, and it’s great that we were able to keep it up. That is precisely what has given us a lot of appreciation.”
A representative from Team USA, Travis Claytor, said about this year’s games: “This week, Team USA has witnessed quite a few of our competitors take important steps towards mental recovery in particular, and for us, that is the big advantage of these Invictus Games. The camaraderie between the different countries was also great.”
To close the games, the Duke of Sussex encouraged the competitors and praised them for their resolve. He said last evening: “We are here with you. We don’t talk about what’s wrong with you, but what happened to you. Bottle the memory and feeling of this week. You have done it. You made your goals, made your family happy. And you leave stronger than you arrived.”
The Invictus Games, an international sporting event for injured servicemen and women, were founded by the Duke of Sussex after the Prince was inspired by the Warrior Games in the United States. The first Invictus Games were in London in 2014. They were held in the United States in 2016 and Canada in 2017. In 2018, it was held in Australia.
They will be held in Düsseldorf, Germany, next year. In 2025, they will be in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada.
