Prince Harry appeared in good spirits as he took part in a chaotic segment on This Morning, joined by presenter Alison Hammond at an event marking one year until the Invictus Games. The Duke of Sussex was seen trying his hand at pickleball during the Invictus Games demonstration at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham on Friday, July 10.
Missing from the event was the Duchess of Sussex, who was due to attend but did not fly to the UK with Harry earlier this week due to security concerns. However, Meghan is widely expected to travel with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in the coming days, prompting rumours of a possible meeting between the King and his US-based grandchildren.
Harry and Alison's Playful Interaction
Harry was joined by This Morning and Great British Bake Off host Alison, who is from Birmingham, and TV presenter Ade Adepitan, a bronze medalist with the GB basketball team at the 2004 Paralympics. Alison was broadcasting live for This Morning, with Dermot O'Leary and Angela Scanlan watching from ITV's London studio. At one point, the presenter and the duke took part in a race, which ended with the pair hugging and jumping up and down excitedly.
Alison and Harry later stopped the sporting action to chat about the Invictus Games and its inspiration. Harry said: "Look, it is literally overcoming adversity. And I think that no matter who you are, where you are, whatever you've come up against, you can see those guys, one leg, no legs, no arm, whatever that's going on with the invisible injuries as well, there's just a huge amount of respect, hope, but also admiration and inspiration."
Personal Revelations and a Surprising Request
Harry added: "Because no matter who you are, whether you've been lying on the couch with a broken back or whatever injury or illness that you've had, you look at these guys and go, 'Well, if they can do it, I can bloody well do it as well.' And I think that's the mentality. And again, look, for all the military training that everybody has, there's resilience in every single one of us."
The conversation then took a turn as Harry revealed that his kids, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, were huge fans of Alison. In response, Alison asked about Harry's impression of her on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which Harry said "was a huge hit!" Alison then suggested: "I live in Birmingham, are you going to come round to my house today or a little bit later?" Prince Harry appeared surprised as he hesitantly replied: "Uh, maybe." She offered a meal of Ackee and Saltfish, to which Harry replied: "Alright, let me think about it." Alison replied: "Alright, have a think about it. I'll go and get everything ready at the house, a little tidy up, bleach my toilets," to which Harry joked: "Why do you need to tidy up? I'll come and bleach your toilets."
