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Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE in Vancouver on Feb. 9, he shares his excitement.
Now, seven years later, Meghan, 43, is once again beside him, offering unwavering support for the cause that means so much to him.
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“It is full of positivity,” a friend of the couple says. “Harry is walking around with a big smile on his face, and he can’t go very far without being stopped every few seconds. But that’s what it’s all about.”
Competitors echo that sentiment. “He came up, gave me a hug, got a cheeky selfie. We were both in Afghanistan in 2008, so we had that connection there,” Christopher Bryde of Team U.S. tells PEOPLE of meeting Harry. “It’s like you met someone down at the pub — he’s a really cool guy.”
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Jeana Provias of Team Canada describes the Duke of Sussex as “very intense and purposeful”: “When he shakes your hand, he looks into your face like he wants to imprint your face in his mind. You can feel he’s an outstanding leader. I feel like he’s our hero.”
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“What a way to start — a sold-out stadium in front of 40,000 people. It had a very Olympic, Paralympic feel to it. It was great,” he says.
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Harry will return home to Montecito, Caifornia, ready to share the experience with his children,Prince Archie, 5, andPrincess Lilibet, 3.
“They are fascinated,” Harry says. “It’s a very interesting conversation to have with your kids — to explain why that person is missing a leg, why that person is missing an arm, why do they look the way they do. It’s challenging but important.”
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“Our kids are still so young, but Archie especially is asking those questions,” he says. “I’m constantly trying to make sure that I get it right in explaining what’s happened to [the competitors] and what we do at Invictus to try to make their lives better and give them a chance to redefine themselves."
“And the power of sport,” he continues. “I’m hoping that my kids will take on every sport they want as well, because I think it’s really important for all of us.”
source: people.com