Following in the footsteps of his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Harry recently recreated a memorable moment in royal history by taking part in a ceremonial puck drop at a Vancouver Canucks hockey game against the San Jose Sharks.
This event was reminiscent of one that occurred 21 years prior, when the Queen herself performed a ceremonial puck drop during an 11-day tour of Canada in October 2002 to commemorate her Golden Jubilee. The game was between the same teams.
Photo: Derek Cain
A memorable moment occurred in 2002 when the Queen received the puck from hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. The crowd cheered as she performed the ceremonial drop and watched the first period from the royal box.
This special royal relationship with hockey continues with the Duke of Sussex’s participation in the most recent game.
Photo: Getty Images
The reason Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are visiting Canada is because it’s all about the Invictus Games, which will take place in Vancouver and Whistler in 2025.
Prince Harry was a major player in the establishment of the Invictus Games, an international adaptive sports competition for sick, injured, and wounded veterans and service members, back in 2014.
Photo: Getty Images
London, Orlando, Toronto, Sydney, the Netherlands, and Germany are just a few of the cities that have hosted the Games; the 2025 event will be the first time that a previous host nation will host an event.
Prince Harry expressed his enthusiasm in a statement for 2025 to mark the arrival of the first-ever Winter Hybrid Games in Canada.
Photo: Jeff Vinnick
In addition to stressing the partnership with the First Nations in the spirit of truth and reconciliation with indigenous communities, he underlined the importance of the Games in broadening the scope and visibility of winter adaptive sports.
Not only is Canada close to Meghan, 42, and Harry, 39,’s current residence in Montecito, California, but it also has personal meaning for the couple.
Photo: Jeff Vinnick
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as the couple is now called, made their debut in public at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, where Meghan resided while she was shooting “Suits.”
The family also has happy memories of Vancouver, having spent their first holiday season together as a family of three on Vancouver Island in 2019—just before they left their royal roles in 2020. This was Archie’s first year of life.
