Prince Harry made his debut as a TV presenter today, when he appeared on Sky Sports’ ‘Game Changers’ show to promote the upcoming Invictus Games.
Di and Darren the show had Prince Harry as guest for the first on the road special episode at Lambs Lane Primary School in Berkshire, which has integrated students with disabilities into their mainstream education programme.
Prince Harry on Sky’s ‘Game Changers’ promoting the Invictus Games. Rota/I-images
Prince Harry is a founder a patron of the Invictus Games Foundation and competition, with the next event for wounded, injured and sick veterans taking place in Orlando next month.
Children the primary school cheered happily as Harry, 31, tried the 30-second basketball challenge, in which he scored 18 points. The Prince also took part in a wheelchair basketball drill and helped pupils throw balls at targets – on which his face was printed!
Harry was joined Scott Meenagh, Stuart Robinson and Mary Wilson, who won medals at the first games, hosted in 2014. The group gave the children an inspiring talk to encourage them to get into sports.
Earlier in the day, the Prince had appeared on BBC Radio2 to promote the next Invictus Games.
Back Invictus Games competitors, urges Prince Harry https://t.co/bBtLVa0YVg by @PARoyal pic.twitter.com/k3TMKGwGrh
— Press Association (@PA) April 27, 2016
The Invictus Games Foundation generates wider awareness of the sacrifices these men and women have made serving their country and helps them with on-going care, training and employment opportunities. It also uses the power of sports and it’s positive impact to minimize many horrors of combat bringing recovery, support and rehabilitation to the men and women that served their country.
The filming aspects were not without problems though, and the Prince admitted he would not be switching careers to TV. After at least the third take of an introduction, he said: “Shall we stick with the first one?”
He also gave Sky an interview and said he hoped the open-mindedness of the children will help to ‘completely smash the stigma that surrounds prostheses and disabilities as a whole’.
In the question and answer session, a young student, Tristan, asked Prince Harry: “Are you ever going to be King?”
Prince Harry high fives a child who asks if he is going to be king – and replies, “probably not” pic.twitter.com/CwnSgS1U9P
— Press Association (@PA) April 27, 2016
The audience gasped at the question, but Prince Harry replied smiling: “That’s the question everyone wanted, lets be honest. You will be glad to know, probably not.”
The former Army captain is currently fifth in line to the throne, behind niece Princess Charlotte, who turns one next in a few days.
Prince Harry then hi-fived the boy after noticing his disappointed facial expression. Tristan said, “I just want Prince Harry to do what he wants, what he really, really wants. I think it would be a fun experience for him to be King. I would love to see him be King.”
The Game Changers Invictus Special airs Friday at 5 p.m. in the U.K.
The 2016 Invictus Games will be held in Orlando, Florida, at the ESPN Wide World of the Sports Complex from 8th to 12th May, and the 2017 instalment is to be hosted in Toronto.
