Prince Harry "stepped up to the plate" with the Invictus Games.
The flame-haired royal has been praised by Invictus competitor Stefan Leroy, who is a double leg amputee, for filling the "need" for something positive to encourage injured veterans.
Stefan said: "Adaptive sports are a huge part of how I stay positive … In a lot of situations, you don’t have that companionship. I live in Florida. I see other amputees very rarely, and when I’m running I’m the only amputee running in my town.
"To bring us all together again at Invictus is great to encourage that growth and that recovery. There was a need for this all along. And it wasn’t being filled. Harry filled that need, by stepping up to the plate and brought Invictus forward."
And Stefan – who lost his legs when he stepped on an explosive during a rescue mission in Afghanistan in 2012 – also felt inspired by seeing others take part in the games.
He added to People magazine: "Prince Harry has created more than a regular Paralympic-style competition. You are competing for your country and your team but you’re also there for everybody else. Most of the sports I’m doing, I’ve seen others doing them. I think that’s part of Invictus. You see people and they are doing awesome and you think ‘I can give that a try.’"
The next Invictus Games is due to take place later this month in Toronto, Canada and it is thought to be when Prince Harry will make his first public appearance with his girlfriend Meghan Markle.
Prince Harry’s Invictus Games praise
