Originally appeared on E! Online
Prince Harry’s most honorable title is parent.
The Duke of Sussex — who shares kids Archie Harrison, 5, and Lilibet “Lili” Diana, 3, with wife Meghan Markle —recently detailed the difficult and important conversations he began having with his children about the Invictus Games, an international event he created to provide an opportunity for wounded and sick service members to participate in empowering competition.
"They are fascinated," Harry told People in an interview published Feb. 12. "It’s a very interesting conversation to have with your kids — to explain why that person is missing a leg, why that person is missing an arm, why do they look the way they do. It’s challenging but important."
The 40-year-old — who served in the British Army for 10 years — noted that Archie is “especially” curious, adding, “He starts asking, 'How did they get injured? What’s a mine? What’s all this?' It becomes opening Pandora’s box, to some extent, especially with kids this age, because they have no filter, and they’re just so curious and so inquisitive!"
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But while his kids are full of curious questions, Harry knows that doesn’t mean he always has the correct answers.
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"I’m constantly trying to make sure that I get it right, in explaining what’s happened to [the competitors],” he continued, “and what we do at Invictus to try to make their lives better and give them a chance to redefine themselves."
And though Harry created the competition more than a decade ago as a way to inspire military personnel recovering from their time in the service, he’s hopeful that Archie and Lili will find inspiration from the Invictus Games, too.
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“They were fascinated to see these guys, careering around the field in wheelchairs, playing basketball, wheelchair rugby, sitting volleyball, everything," he shared of the 2023 Games in Düsseldorf. "I’m hoping that my kids will take on every sport that they want as well, because I think it’s really important for all of us."
