Shortly after giving a speech at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games, Prince Harry and Meghan made a surprise stop off at an ice hockey match, where they made a sweet nod to Harry’s late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II

Prince Harry and Meghan have made a surprise visit to watch an NHL ice hockey match between Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The couple arrived at the Canucks’ Rogers Arena home just minutes after leaving the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games at nearby BC Place.

Harry followed in the footsteps of his late grandmother by dropping the ceremonial first puck before play commenced in the match, said to be the most watched NHL game of the season.

Queen Elizabeth II performed the same feat at a Vancouver Canucks match in 2002 during her two-week Golden Jubilee tour of Canada.It was the first NHL match the then Queen had attended since 1951, when still a princess, she and Prince Philip watched the Montreal Canadiens take on the New York Rangers.

Harry and Meghan could have been forgiven for having mixed feelings about who to support at the match due to their shared links to both Vancouver and Toronto.

Hockey fans were in for a surprise when Prince Harry turned up ( 
Image:
SNOHD)They moved to nearby Vancouver Island immediately after they quit royal duties in what became known as ‘Megxit’ in 2020 and previously watched a match between Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks at the same venue in November 2023.

But they also began their romance with secret dates and stays in Toronto, where Meghan lived while filming the TV drama Suits for five years.

Canada holds many memories for the Duke and Duchess ( 
Image:
NHLI via Getty Images)Harry alluded to the rivalry between the two cities at the Invictus Games opening ceremony earlier in the day, where he and Meghan were seen enjoying performances by a number of stars, including Katy Perry, Chris Martin and Nelly Furtado.

Harry, 40, also gave a speech on stage at the event in front of a sold-out audience of 40,000 people.

Harry alluded to the rivalry between the two cities during today’s opening ceremony ( 

With his tongue placed firmly in his cheek, he had told them: “Hello Canada and Bienvenue! So, the Toronto Games in 2017 were incredible, and I’m told there is no rivalry between East and West Coast, especially when it comes to sport!”.

Meghan spoke about her love for Canada on Friday night while appearing at a welcome reception for competitors behind closed doors at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Meghan spoke fondly of her love for Canada at last night’s welcome reception ( 
Image:
Samir Hussein/WireImage)

SIMILAR ARTICLES TO THISIt came just hours after she and Harry touched down in Vancouver after travelling on a private plane together from Santa Barbara, close to their home in Montecito.

Meghan, 43, said: “I was not planning on speaking tonight and we just arrived, I don’t know, a couple of hours ago and I touched Canadian soil and I went ‘ohh, feels like home!’.Earlier in the day, the couple, whose children Archie and Lilibet have stayed in California, attended two separate breakfast meetings, including one where Harry was caught dad-dancing.

The first saw the couple meet with Team US competitors and was also attended by a number of US government and military officials.

The second event saw the Duke and Duchess meet with Team Canada competitors, as well as officials from True Patriot Love and presenting sponsor – ATCO, the Governor General, the BC Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, and the Chief of Defence Staff.