Invictus Athlete, who served with Prince Harry, says the Duke “understands”

Invictus athlete James Phelps knows what it is like to be in a fight – and after merging in Afghanistan with Prince HarryHe can confidently say that the Duke of Sussex as well.

“He really understands it,” James said, 44, exclusively Us every week When participating in 2025 Invictus Games At the Vancouver Congress Center on Saturday 15 February.

James, who competed in skeletal biathlon, rugby and basketball for a wheelchair, said Our The Duke of Sussex was “there on Apache Squadron” when he visited one of our sites while both deployed to Afghanistan in 2012.

“We worked with search and rescue helicopters,” he explained. “So he came and just took a tour of our squadron and so – photography and things.” (It was just) a regular, real man. That was 2012 – we had a big attack on the camp bastion. It was September 2012. ”

James has been deployed several times – he was part of the search and rescue team attributed to 500 lives – looking for treatment and hospitalization for PTSD. “I got help before it was too late,” he said earlier.

Prince Harry served in the British Army from 2005 to 2015. During that time he was deployed twice to Afghanistan – from 2012 to 2013, Apache Helicopters flew – which made him the first member of the royal family who served in active military service in 30 years .

James’s wife and administrator, Cynthia, says she has extremely respect for Prince Harry because of her military service and time in the country.

“We have great respect for him,” Cynthia said Our. “I know James yes, because there were two marines who were killed in action (during) this attack.” It was, like two years after this attack, that Invictus games were founded. It doesn’t fall on the siding. ”

Prince Harry founded Invictus games in 2014-competition about injured, injured or sick men and women inspired by his ten-year experience in the armed forces.

“He’s a frontal man,” says Cynthia about Harry. “And every time he and he a and Meghan (Markle) They gathered that they are hand in hand, face to face-(they) tell us how much it means to them. Behind them is also a huge team. ”

She added, “Every time we had some contact with them, it’s so real. This makes it feel like they’re just you and they themselves in the room. With each contact. ”

Almost ten years after they first met when they served in Afghanistan, James and Harry met in San Diego in 2023.

“He descended and chose, just like eight of us to lunch with them,” James said Our. “So I was one of the eight who had lunch with him.” When we sat down, we shared the stories of how we met before – signed my line badge and gave me Prince Harry Coin. There were no cameras. There was nothing, no publicity. It was only him and a bunch of boys. ”

He added, “He’s amazing. He told me “Blue Beard.”

James – who started dying hair and Beard Blue in 2023 as a “conversational starter” – says Invictus is unlike another sports competition on the planet.

“There is nothing like that in the world,” he said, adding that his favorite sport is rugby, although “the skeleton is probably the most adrenaline.”

“That was so inspiring,” he added about the games. “Only people are positive here – you can almost feel it in the air.” Yeah, (an) Absolutely amazing environment. There are so many amazing stories – people just promote diversity and just prosper. ”

Reporting by Justin Ravitz