The Duke of Sussex hailed his Invictus Games' belief in the 'unconquered human spirit' just moments after a High Court judge dismissed his claim against the Daily Mail's publishers over alleged unlawful information gathering.
Despite the loss, Harry appeared relaxed and even joked about the heatwave, telling Invictus Games conference delegates that the room they were in was one of the 'few' in the UK with air conditioning, 'so I can understand why every seat is full'.
Harry had arrived at Chatham House in London about an hour before the highly anticipated judgment was released, and appeared businesslike, briefly turning as he entered the building to wave at rows of cameramen and photographers.
Legal Claim Dismissed
The duke was part of a group of household names, also including Sir Elton John, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Liz Hurley and Sadie Frost, who alleged acts including voicemail interception, landline tapping and obtaining information by deception – known as 'blagging' – were carried out by private investigators, freelance journalists and staff at Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).
ANL denied the claims as it defended the cases, which it also said had been brought too late. Mr Justice Nicklin said that none of the group of seven had proven the allegations of unlawful information gathering.
Rare UK Appearance for Invictus Games
The duke was making a rare appearance in the UK for a week-long series of events marking a year until Birmingham hosts the Invictus Games, a Paralympics-style event launched by Harry in 2014 to aid the recovery of injured or sick military veterans and servicemen and women.
After a private 45-minute meeting with a number of UK and foreign ministers for veterans, he took to the stage and told delegates: 'Every one of us believes that those who have served their country, and in particular those whose lives have been changed by that service, deserve more than our gratitude.'
'They deserve opportunity. The chance to redefine one's purpose and identity. They deserve to truly feel our admiration and respect. And they deserve every chance to build the life they choose beyond military service. That's what the Invictus community is all about.'
Light Moments and New Member
In a lighter moment, when Uganda was named as the latest member of the Invictus family, during a brief onstage ceremony the duke posed for a picture with delegates from the country, holding a roundel with the nation's name, and Harry made the guests laugh as he jokingly held it like a frisbee.
Harry ended with the words: 'I hope you leave this conference with a deeper understanding of what the Invictus movement really is. Not simply a week of sport every two years, but a community united by one belief: that the unconquered human spirit exists in every nation and that our shared responsibility is to create the conditions in which it can flourish.'
