The 29-year-old royal was at an all-Aussie reception for the Australian team at Australia House in London’s Strand.
Would the boisterous athletes shatter the 100-year-old Murano glass chandelier they were cheering beneath?
Prince Harry, in the middle of the group, looked bewildered at first, but then broke into a grin.The chant was led by Leon Seccombe, who’s participating in archery, shot put, rowing and swimming events. He said it was a spur of the moment call when a teammate suggested to him: “Come on, give it some.”
“So I whispered in the Prince’s ear, ‘Do you mind if we do an Aussie Aussie’ and he said ‘No, go hard’, so I said, righto here we go,” Mr Seccombe explained afterwards. “He’s probably heard one before, but not been right in the middle of it.”
The Paralympic-style competition that is dear to Prince Harry’s heart and has become his baby, officially opened an hour ago at the London Olympics stadium. It will see 430 wounded and ill military personnel participating in nine different adaptive sports.
The Aussie team comprises 36 athletes includes 15 serving members of the armed forces and 21 retired personnel. Mr Seccombe said there was a real buzz within the Australian team competing at the Invictus Games. “This has been a wonderful opportunity for service and ex-service people to come together,” the 44-year-old said.
“There’s been a lot of what I call therapy, of people discussing their problems and thoughts. It’s achieved what it set out to do, which is bring people into an arena and let them compete and feel part of a team, and be with like-minded people.”
Mr Seccombe is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, arthritis in his right leg and tinnitus after serving in Bosnia with British forces in the late 1990s. He was a corporal in the army, but said he’s now “just an old, fat man”.
Before the team photo, Prince Harry mingled with the athletes. “I’ve been asking the (other) teams who has got a secret weapon,” the 29-year-old royal said. “But everyone’s holding their cards close to their chests.”
When one athlete told the Prince the Aussies had been training hard the past few days, Harry quipped: “Training with drinking!” He later encouraged all competitors to “Enjoy the rest of your week.”
The first events have already been run and won ahead of the opening ceremony which featured an anthem written by Coldplay’s Chris Martin. And so far Australia sits atop the medal table.
Prince Harry’s sister-in-law, The Duchess of Cambridge was initially scheduled to attend the opening ceremony, but had to pull out due to acute morning sickness.
The Invictus Games closes on Sunday in the UK at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Other countries participating are: the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the United States, Denmark, Estonia, France, Italy, Canada, Holland, Afghanistan, Georgia and Germany.
