Prince Harry executive produced Heart of Invictus (Image: Getty)
Prince Harry’s latest collaboration with Netflix, the series Heart of Invictus, has finally dropped on the streaming platform and is focusing on the Invictus Games, founded by the Duke in 2014.
Following his time serving in the military Harry was inspired by the Warrior Games, an annual sporting contest in the US for injured and ill veterans.
The Invictus Games sees service people with physical and/or mental health difficulties compete internationally in a sporting tournament, with the 2023 Games this September being hosted in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Heart of Invictus follows the competitors, the organisers and even Harry himself on the road to Invictus Games The Hague 2020, with the Duke making some surprising revelations throughout the series.
Here Express.co.uk takes a look at the eight biggest discoveries from the documentary series, currently available to watch on Netflix.
Harry and Meghan launching Invictus Games 2023 (Image: Getty)
Lack of support network after returning from Afghanistan
In the programme Harry claimed he lacked a strong “support network” after he returned from his first tour of Afghanistan in 2008, adding that “no one” in his family was able to help him.
He stressed that it was not his Army experiences that had traumatised him, rather that it had triggered his trauma from losing his mother Princess Diana when he was so young.
This seems to go against what he had said in an interview with Bryony Gordon on the Mad World podcast in 2017, where he credited his brother Prince William and other close friends for encouraging him to see a therapist.
After getting back from his second tour in 2013 Harry opened up about his feelings to William, as he said six years ago: “My brother, you know, bless him, he was a huge support to me. He kept saying this is not right, this is not normal, you need to talk to [someone] about stuff, it’s OK.”
William and Harry in happier times before they fell out (Image: Getty)
His trauma over losing his mother was never discussed by the Firm
Harry made a dig at the Royal Family in Heart of Invictus as he discussed the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experienced by soldiers after coming back from war.
He claims that his own trauma following the sudden and tragic death of his mother Princess Diana in 1997, weeks before his 13th birthday, was “never discussed” by his family.
He said: “Look, I can only speak to me own experience but from my tour of Afghanistan in 2012 flying Apaches, somewhere after that there was an unravelling.
“And the trigger for me was actually returning from Afghanistan but the stuff that was coming up was from 1997 from the age of 12.
2Losing my mum at such a young age, the trauma I had I was never aware of. It was never discussed and I didn’t really talk about it and I supressed it like most other youngsters would have done.
“When it all came fizzing out I was bouncing off the walls – what is going on here? – I am now feeling everything instead of being young.”
Harry lost his mother when he was just 12 (Image: Getty)
Hanging up his military uniform
Harry has often spoken about his time in the Army had a profound and positive effect in him, as he served in the military for a decade, until 2015.
In the third episode of the series the Prince alluded to his service during a video call with some of the Invictus Games competitors as they talked about “hanging up” their uniforms, but he added that being in the military will never leave them.
He said: “But, thank you for putting so much into this, right? You did it every day, wearing [a] uniform and for some reason or another, that uniform had to be hung up.
“That service that runs in your blood, in our blood, that never leaves the body. It’s there.”
Harry served in the military for ten years (Image: Getty)
He still believes in making one’s family proud
Ever since Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as working royals in 2020 and moved to Montecito in California, his relationship with his family has become more estranged, especially after the publication of his damaging memoir Spare in January.
In spite of this Harry seems to reinforce just how important family is during video calls with some of the competitors in the Invictus Games.
He told the former soldiers: “So when you are out there, kicking ass, trying to win a medal, or just having fun, and making your family incredibly proud.
“When you feel that feeling in your throat, and you feel like you might want to cry, then just f****** cry.”
Harry is estranged from his family (Image: Getty)
He struggled to feel emotion after Diana died
During the fourth episode of Heart of Invictus Harry expressed how the impact of Diana’s death had left him unable to express his emotions healthily.
He made the comments during a one-to-one moment with Darrell Ling, who was competing in the Invictus Games in the indoor rowing category for Canada.
The rower told the Duke: “I’m glad you’ve been through this stuff and know how we feel”, to which Harry responded: “[I can’t] pretend to know what you’ve been through.”
He then spoke about how he had been affected by the “trauma” of losing his mother, saying: “I had no emotion, I was unable to cry, I was unable to feel. I didn’t know it at the time.
“And it wasn’t until later in my life aged 28 there was a circumstance that happened that the first few bubbles started coming out and then suddenly it was like someone shook and it went ‘poof’.. and then it was chaos.”
Harry at the 2020 Invictus closing ceremony (Image: Getty)
He felt nervous ahead of an important speech and looked to Meghan for guidance
In a clip from the first episode of Harry’s series he is seen looking “nervous” ahead of a speech at the Salute of Freedom Gala in November 2021.
Body language expert Judi James told Express.co.uk that at this time of high stress Harry turns to Meghan for reassurance, explaining: “Harry looks needy for Meghan’s support in one scene, where they are walking the red carpet hand in hand and hear Harry telling his wife ‘I’m nervous’ in what sounds like a bid to get her support and affection.
“We also see him puffing and doing side-bends before going on stage to do a speech and then a very tearful and equally puffing Harry speaking after Meghan has introduced him to the Invictus audience.”
Harry and Meghan at the Salute to Freedom Gala in 2021 (Image: Getty)
His desire to look to the future
In the third instalment of the documentary the Duke opens up about putting the past behind him and “focusing on the future”, in what could be a reference to his past dramas with the Royal Family.
Harry says in the show: “Knowing how dark it gets, and how dark it has got for some of these people, one step forward [and] three steps back.
“But the longer that they persist, then a lot of these individuals get through and out of that trench they’ve been stuck in.
“They’re no longer worrying about the past, they’re focused on the future.
“And the effect that that has on the individual has this ripple effect across the family, across this community and that’s what we’re trying to achieve.”
Harry and Meghan with baby Archie in 2019 (Image: Getty)
What Prince Archie wants to do when he grows up
In an especially touching moment from the series Harry gave an insight into what his four-year-old son aspires to be when he grows up.
While what the young prince wants to do seems to change regularly, although the most important thing for the Duke is that he is able to teach Archie an important lesson.
Harry said in Heart of Invictus: “When I talk to my son Archie about what he wants to be when he grows up, some days it’s an astronaut, some days it’s a pilot.
“But what I remind him is no matter what you want to be when you grow up it’s your character that matters most.
“And nothing would make his mum and me prouder than to see him have the character of what we see before us today – you.”
Harry made those comments while addressing the Invictus crowd at the 2020 Games in The Hague, Netherlands last spring.
