Prince Harry back where he belongs with the community he cares about the most
Prince Harry has fired the starting gun on the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games, which will be held in Birmingham.
The former Household Cavalryman joined veterans, many of whom carry the scars of injuries sustained in uniform, often while at war.
As well as formally marking the "one year to go" moment, the prince also tried his hand at some of the adaptive sports that will feature in the next games, including laser tag and pickleball.
Looking noticeably at ease in the company of fellow veterans, the ex-Apache commander said he was pleased to be back with former colleagues and friends, some of whom have been involved in Invictus since its first games in 2014.
Birmingham 2027 will be the games' eighth iteration, following in the footsteps of host cities including Vancouver, Düsseldorf, and London, where the original games were held.
Speaking to BFBS Forces News, JJ Chalmers, the former Royal Marine who has since become a household name as a TV presenter, said he owed a lot to the prince.
He said: "I met Prince Harry a few months before the first games, and back then, it didn't even have a name
"But he explained this concept and it sounded ambitious; it sounded like only someone with his platform, power and influence could pull this thing off.
"And he pulled it off in eight months. That's how long it took from a concept to delivery in 2014."
Mr Chalmers added: "We thought it would be a one-off, but something happened that week in London and we realised no, this was needed and powerful."
Prince Harry was joined by former Invictus competitors like JJ, and others hoping to make it into Team UK for the next games.
His tryouts of the different sports that will feature next year also saw him take to the court for a somewhat aggressive game of wheelchair rugby alongside former Royal Marines' colonel Al Carns.
Afterwards, former armed forces minister Mr Carns told BFBS Forces News that Birmingham held a place "in the soul" of the Armed Forces.
He said: "I served in Afghanistan and dropped casualties off here in Queen Elizabeth [hospital], only to see them years later fully recovered.
"And that's down to the staff of the Queen Elizabeth; it's the home of medical care for the military and it's a fantastic organisation."
Mr Carns was referring to the standard practice of evacuating injured personnel from the likes of Iraq and Afghanistan to the city's Queen Elizabeth II hospital – following incidents including Improvised Explosive Device (IED) strikes.
It is for this reason, Mr Carns said, these next games will really matter.
He said: "One hundred per cent. Those personal stories just tell you about the magic of the Invictus Games and the journey of recovery.
"You know, service personnel serve our country.
"Post service, we have a duty to then serve them and make sure that the moral component of fighting power is absolutely solid, so when things happen to them and go wrong, we can then support them."
The event also saw the announcement of a new piece of British Sign Language, with "Invictus Games" now formally part of the language used by thousands of deaf people across the UK.
Friday's event was the conclusion of four days of activities marking a year to go until the games, which saw Prince Harry attending a conference at Chatham House and the naming of a train that will be used by what is hoped will be many of the visitors to Birmingham next year.
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