Meghan Markle has been spotted adoringly watching her husband Prince Harry as he opened the seventh edition of the Invictus Games.
The Duchess, who is wearing a brown ensemble, stood behind the Duke of Sussex as he gave his opening speech to whooping crowds in Vancouver.
While standing on stage, Harry engaged with the audience by joking about tiredness. He asked if anyone was tired, receiving shouts of ‘no’ from the audience. This prompted a jovial response from Harry, pointing out, ‘Well obviously team Canada is not tired, everybody else had to travel half way round the world to be here!’
Last night the pair were all smiles from the back seat of a three-car convey as they arrived at the ultra luxurious Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are set to experience ‘rock star’ treatment in Vancouver, where they have booked a luxurious £5,000 a night suite. The suite boasts its own private elevator and rooftop patio for their enjoyment.
Established by Prince Harry in 2014, this year marks the seventh edition of the games. The event will kick off in the city today, bringing together over 500 competitors from 23 nations. What makes this edition unique is the inclusion of winter sports, a first in the history of the games.
The couple famously appeared in public together for the first time at the Toronto Invictus Games in 2017, pictured hand-in-hand at a wheelchair tennis event.
Meghan, who has attended four previous games, is said to be focused on supporting her husband and the games in the coming week.
The source said: ‘Her attendance underscores her support for her husband and the mission of Invictus, a cause that is deeply personal to both of them.
‘While the Duchess has several exciting projects on the horizon, her family remains her top priority. As always, she and the Duke will continue to stand together in support of the causes they care about, just as they did during their visits to Colombia and Nigeria last year.
‘Her focus at the Games will be on uplifting her husband, the competitors, and sharing their stories.’
The couple flew in on a private charter jet from Santa Barbara airport near their home in Montecito, California, arriving just after 5:30pm.
Three staff from the Fairmont Pacific Rim on Vancouver’s waterfront stood guard at the entrance to the underground car park ready to block traffic to allow the Prince’s convoy to proceed inside unhindered.
While police waited in two nearby unmarked cars, but despite temperatures below freezing there were still people out on the street to greet them.
The Duke and Duchess will initially spend three nights in the city of Vancouver before relocating to the ski resort of Whistler for the adaptive winter sports part of the games for wounded and disabled military veterans.
Such is the luxury of the two-storey suite they will be staying in it will be a home from home from their £10m California mansion.
The couple are staying in the Chairman’s Suite in the five star Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel with its breathtaking views across the Coal Harbour to snow-capped mountains in the distance.
The hotel has nicknamed the luxurious accommodation the ‘Rock Star Suite’ and its former guests have included Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise and singer Ed Sheeran.
Described by the hotel as ‘pure luxury’ it boasts a custom 8′-long Swarovski crystal chandelier that cascades over the two-story living area.
The master bedroom is located on the top floor and features a fireplace, king size bed, and huge 500 sq ft marble bathroom with a hand-carved soaker tub.
This lavish suite also offers two stunning living room areas, kitchen and pantry and can be connected to another room for other guests or meetings.
There is also a wet bar where Harry could indulge in the Dirty Harry cocktail.
Made from Vodka, dry vermouth and ginger it was named after Canadian writer and visual artist Douglas Coupland’s ‘Dirty Harry, 2021’ artwork which featured blown mercury glass and hangs in the hotel’s entrance.
Should Harry and Meghan want to brave the sub-zero temperatures in the Canadian city there is an outdoor rooftop patio with expansive views.
Inspired by a Balinese villa the patio includes a private gazebo with a meditation pond and fire pit, along with a private rooftop tented terrace.
The hotel, which is rated as the most luxurious in British Columbia, also has a heated outdoor pool with cabanas, and a spa with meditation pods and an infrared sauna.
The Fairmont hotel is located opposite the Vancouver Convention Centre where most of the indoor sports in the Invictus Games will be held.
While it is a short walk across two lanes of traffic the couple will have access to an underground tunnel that links the two buildings.
With temperatures hovering above freezing and an icy breeze it means they will not get cold as they attend the sporting events and meet competitors and their families in the vast expanse of the Convention Centre which acts as a hub for the games.
While the weather is cold in Vancouver it plunges to -15 in the ski resort of Whistler where the winter adaptive sports will be held.
During the three days alpine skiing, snowboarding the skeleton are held the temperature will not rise above -7.
Harry and Meghan got a taste of how cold it can be exactly a year ago when they visited the resort for a ‘Vancouver Whistler 2025 One Year to Go’ event.
They saw first-hand how disabled and injured military veterans were able to tackle the winter sports.
Organisers have revealed that the budget for the nine-day event was over £30m and involved over 1,800 volunteers from 21 countries.
He said the private donors had contributed $3.3m with Canadian Government also chipping in millions and corporate sponsors, such as Seattle based plane maker Boeing, contributing to the costs.
The opening ceremony on Saturday is a 40,000 all ticket sell out with Katy Perry, Chris Martin and Nelly Furtado headlining the two hour event at the BC centre in downtown Vancouver.
Chief Executive Officer Scott Moore, who is responsible for staging the games said: ‘We will deliver the best ever Invictus Games over the next nine days. These Games will be life-changing. ‘
Mr Moore, who has over 40 years of senior management experience in sports broadcast, media and sponsorship sales, added: ‘I was lucky enough to do eleven Olympic Games in my career.
‘People ask me what is the difference between the Olympic Games and the Invictus Games.
‘The Olympic Games changes lives… the Invictus Games saves lives.’
