‘It means so much to him’

In a clip of the opening night shared on X by an attendee, Markle gushed about her return to Canada and honored the Duke of Sussex, 40.

“I was not planning on speaking tonight,” she began. “We just arrived a couple of hours ago and I touched Canadian soil and I went, ‘feels like home.’

“We are so excited and we also recognize most of you are probably so exhausted from how much travel you’ve done, how much adrenaline you have pumping, how excited you are for what is going to be one of the most outstanding, memorable, unforgettable, and connected weeks probably for you and your families,” Markle said.

Giving a nod to her other half, the “Suits” actress continued: “We are just thrilled to be here and I would be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to introduce someone who means a lot to me and I know means quite a lot to all of you.”

“You will see him throughout this week,” shared Markle. “You will see him at the games, you will see him probably curling with you and cheering you on at wheelchair basketball.”

The international sporting event that celebrates wounded, injured and sick service members and veterans is taking place in Vancouver and Whistler from Feb. 8 until Feb. 16.

Markle went on to tease that Harry will take part in sports that she would “never do” to show his support for those in the sports tournament.

And ahead of the event, Markle admitted that her other half has been juggling being an involved father to their kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, while preparing for the big event.

“With families…the big rush in the morning and getting ready for school and packing the lunchboxes and making breakfast and my husband is in all of that with all of us,” she shared to the crowd. “And then he’ll be on his phone, and Archie will be like, ‘Papa, why are you on your phone?’ and he says, ‘Because it’s Invictus, I’m getting ready for Invictus.’”

“It means so much to him,” Markle confessed. “You are his family just as we are his family. And I hope you recognize how much of his heart he has poured into every single beat that has gotten all of you to this week, that’s going to be spectacular.”

The Duchess finished her speech before ushering the man himself onto the stage.

“I need you to know that, how much it means to him and how much each of you mean to him. It is my entire pleasure and complete honor to introduce to the stage my husband, the father of our very sweet, excited children who are cheering you on from California, Prince Harry, founder of the Invictus Games, the Duke of Sussex.”

The audience applauded as Prince Harry entered and hugged Markle — sneaking in a quick kiss before heading to the podium.

The couple are no strangers to the Invictus Games, which Harry founded in 2014. The Brit was inspired to start the event after returning from Afghanistan with injured allies and witnessing the U.S. Armed Forces’ Warrior Games in 2013.

Markle made her debut at the games in 2017 when the Invictus Games were held in Toronto, where she lived and filmed “Suits.” The outing marked the pair’s first official joint appearance after a year of dating.

Dominic Reid, the CEO of the Invictus Games Foundation, praised Prince Harry’s efforts and dedication to the event, telling People on Wednesday that he has “created extraordinary opportunities” for veterans and service members, making them feel “seen, heard, and cared for.”