Prince Harry will be in the United States of America on October 28th for an event in support of the Invictus Games Orlando 2016, which will take place between the 8th-12th May 2016 at the ESPN World Wide of Sports Complex in Orlando. Prince Harry will be joined at the event by First Lady of the USA, Michelle Obama, and Dr Jill Biden, wife of Vice-President Joe Biden.
Prince Harry, Mrs Obama and Dr Biden will visit Fort Belvoir military base where they will meet with wounded servicemen and women who are undertaking recovery and rehabilitation programmes. As part of the visit, the trio will showcase their support for service members, veterans and their families whilst also highlighting the upcoming Invictus Games, set to take place in Orlando.
As long-term advocates of the need to support those who are serving or have served in the Armed Forces, in 2011, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden launched Joining Forces, a US nationwide initiative encouraging all Americans to rally around their servicemen and women and veterans through wellness, education and employment opportunities. Prince Harry had spoken with both the First and Second Ladies about the topic of their combined venture when he met with Mrs Obama at Kensington Palace in June and with Mrs Biden at the inaugural Invictus Games in September 2014, where she led a Presidential Delegation.
During their time at Fort Belvoir, Prince Harry and the First and Second Lady will tour the USO Warrior and Family Centre, a state of the art facility which supports injured, wounded or ill troops as well as their families. They will also be treated to a short adaptive sports event after which each of the trios will deliver a short speech.
After bidding farewell to Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, Prince Harry will travel to Washington D.C for an Invictus Games board meeting and reception at the British Ambassador’s Residence. While here, Prince Harry will have the opportunity to meet the people involved in the delivery of the 2016 Invictus Games and hear how events are progressing.
The Invictus Games is an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women that use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding of those who serve our country. The inaugural Invictus Games were held in London in September 2014 and were inspired by the 2013 US Warrior Games. The first Invictus Games saw over 400 competitors from 13 nations compete.
Royal Central will have all the latest on Prince Harry’s USA visit and, of course, the upcoming 2016 Invictus Games.
