When Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer eulogized his sister at her funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997, he made a pledge to her regarding her beloved sons, Prince William and Prince Harry: “I pledge that we, your blood family, will do all we can to continue the imaginative way in which you were steering these two exceptional young men so that their souls are not simply immersed by duty and tradition, but can sing openly, as you planned,” he said, as the world watched. “We fully respect the heritage into which they have both been born and will always respect and encourage them in their royal role but we, like you, recognize the need for them to experience as many different aspects of life as possible to arm them spiritually and emotionally for the years ahead. I know you would have expected nothing less from us.”
As King Charles attended a garden party roughly three miles away this evening, his younger son, Prince Harry, was at St. Paul’s Cathedral—interestingly, the location of Charles and Diana’s wedding in 1981—to celebrate 10 years of the Invictus Games, Harry’s passion project and the work of his life. The King turned down the opportunity to meet with Harry while his son was in the U.K., citing a busy schedule, Harry’s spokesperson confirmed yesterday; no members of the royal family turned up to Harry’s Service of Thanksgiving.
But then, the Spencer family swooped in. Diana was one of four Spencer siblings—she had two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, and a younger brother, Charles. Hello reports that Jane (now Lady Jane Fellowes) and Charles (more formally, Earl Charles Spencer) were in attendance at Harry’s service, and arrived together “with the pair sharing a smile,” the outlet reports. Sarah (now Lady Sarah McCorquodale) was also in attendance, Hello reports.
When Harry arrived at St. Paul’s, he too was smiling and “waving at cheering members of the crowd that had amassed,” Hello reports. Inside, 1,000 people gathered for the ceremony, and “Harry was clearly buoyed by the show of support from Charles, Lady Sarah, and Lady Jane,” the publication added.
Speaking to Hello about Harry’s attendance at the service, David Wiseman, a former competitor in the Games, said “We wouldn’t be here without Prince Harry, would we? We wouldn’t be here without his initial vision, without his drive, without his influence, without his ability to convene this international community of those who have served and continue to serve. And he’s so passionate about serving that community. He’s one of us—he’s part of this community, and we’re incredibly proud to have him as part of it. We’re delighted he’s here to help us celebrate the past 10 years, and to look forward to the next 10 years.”
Harry founded the Games in 2014 as a multi-sport event for injured or sick service personnel, both veterans and those still actively serving. With no members of the royal family there and his wife, Meghan Markle, back at home in the U.S., “fans had been worried Harry would be at the service alone,” The Mirror reports—but should feel hopeful that Harry did, indeed, have family there, after all. (Somewhere, surely, Diana is smiling.)
Of the Games, Harry said this week “Sometimes you…look back and go, ‘Look at what we’ve done,’” he said. “But also, given the state of the world, there is so much more to do, and I think a lot of uncertainty—but what we’ve created is a global community.” When asked about the future of the Games, Harry confirmed they would continue so long as they “serve their purpose,” he said.
Harry will next join up with Meghan in Nigeria, where they will discuss possible future opportunities for the country to host a future iteration of the Games.
