Meghan Markle joins Prince Harry at Invictus Games

Meghan Markle joins Prince Harry at Invictus Games



Prince Harry's actress girlfriend Meghan Markle joined him at the opening of tonight's Invictus Games, the first time she has attended an official engagement with the royal.

Although the couple were not seated together at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, she was sat just a few feet away from the Queen's grandson, who was accompanied by US First Lady Melania Trump.

Wearing a purple dress and a matching $690 Mackage leather jacket slung over her shoulders, Meghan was escorted by her close friend Markus Anderson who introduced her to Prince Harry last year.

Her low key presence marks the first time she has joined the Royal for an official event and will intensify speculation that an engagement announcement is imminent.

Harry, seated a quarter of a stadium away, occupied a VIP box alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, US First Lady Melania Trump and Ukraine's President Poroshenko.

Because they are not engaged, royal protocol dictates that Harry and Meghan cannot sit next to one another at official events.

The distance - 18 seats and four rows - did nothing to dampen the actress's excitement or pride. She beamed as Harry gave an inspiring and humble speech on stage during which he told the 550 athletes gathered: 'You are all winners. You are Invictus.'

Meanwhile Harry seemed unable to keep his eyes off his radiant girlfriend and was spotted glancing down towards her seat on a number of occasions. 



Before she took her seat, the First Lady met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his glamorous wife Sophie and his children Ella-Grace and Xavier.

Mrs Trump spoke to Sophie first, saying: 'It’s good to see you. I saw you a few days ago.'

She then chatted briefly to Trudeau about the couple's children before telling him that her son Barron had spent the day playing soccer.

Miss Markle, although American born, currently resides in Toronto while filming the US legal drama Suits.

She has been dating the prince since July last year when they were introduced by Her 'best friend' Markus, a consultant for the Soho House Group and former global membership director at the exclusive club where he worked his way up from being a waiter to the right-hand man of founder Nick Jones.



Prince Harry, 32, was introduced to his girlfriend at Soho House in London and is believed to have attended a masked Halloween ball at Soho House in Toronto while secretly visiting Meghan at her home last year.

Meghan could be seen clapping enthusiastically when the UK team entered the auditorium, although Harry got to his feet.

Intriguingly, particularly as she is not entitled to British tax-payer funded police protection, one of Harry's Scotland Yard security officers could be seen hidden away in a stairwell close to where Miss Markle was seated.

Presumably he had been stationed there to whisk her away as soon as the opening show had ended.



The actress appeared to be aware of the cameras, sitting with enormous poise in her seat, often whispering and giggling with Mr Anderson.

But her boyfriend had her undivided attention when he took the stage.  She was seen laughing as he cracked a joke with Captain Trevor Greene; a retired soldier who was terribly injured in Afghanistan in 2006.

Meghan smiled broadly and clapped enthusiastically as her boyfriend was shown live on a screen in the auditorium and thanked for creating the inspiring Invictus Games concept.

Following Captain Greene onto the stage, Harry began his speech by recapping the story of his flight home from Afghanistan in 2008 when he was joined on the plane by three injured British soldiers and the body of a Dane killed in action.

He went on to decry the 'cynical, apathetic' world, telling the audience at the Air Canada Centre: 'We can all win when we respect our friends, neighbors and communities.'

Talking about host city Toronto, he said: 'More sports, more nations, more friends and families, more fans watching than ever before. We have the biggest crowd that Invictus has ever had.'

Watched by Markle, who looked on intently throughout, Harry ended the speech with a call to action, telling the assembled ath.

Des