Prince Harry fought back the tears as he watched an Invictus Games athlete get emotional.
The 33-year-old prince looked on as Michaela Gilewicz got teary eyed during the competition’s opening ceremony, and later admitted to her that he couldn’t watch any longer otherwise he would’ve started crying, too.
She said: "I was waiting in the area for powerlifting … and he came up and tapped me on the shoulder, shook my hand and said: ‘I’ve got something to tell you.’
"I’m like, oh no, it’s the same story everyone’s been telling me.
"He saw me tearing up and he said: ‘I had to look away because we were live to air on the BBC and you nearly set me off.’ "
Michaela – who was discharged from the army because of an injured shoulder – admitted she had fulfilled a lifelong dream meeting the flame-haired royal.
She added to ABC Radio Hobart: "I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is the best moment of my life.’
"I’ve been waiting my whole life to meet Prince Harry."
Harry – who attended the Games with his girlfriend Meghan Markle earlier this week for their first public appearance together – recently called for the world to "draw strength" from the event’s competitors.
He said: "Back in 2013, I was able to witness the Warrior Games in Colorado and to see the power of sport was truly remarkable. Yet it wasn’t on an international scale and not enough people were being involved in it.
"These individuals and their stories are remarkable. The general public across the world need to see this, to draw strength from it and at the same time, competitors themselves will be able to use sport to be able to rehabilitate themselves."
Harry founded the Invictus Games, an international sports event for wounded armed service personnel, in 2014 and the inaugural competition was held on September 10-14 in the same year in London.
Prince Harry fought back tears at Invictus Games
