Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, impressed former US marine Michael Harrold, who today said: “Everyone laughed. He’s got a good sense of humour and he’s very engaging”

Prince Harry had athletes in stitches at the Invictus Games after telling a risqué joke about snowmen.

The father-of-two, 40, told the gag after Michael Harrold, a former US marine, urged him to tell his best dad joke at a breakfast event with competitors from Team USA.

Michael, from Virginia, met Harry at the event this week and then again today when he appeared at the Invictus Games swimming finals at Vancouver’s UBC Aquatic Centre, where he posed with a US flag before signing it.

Recounting the joke, Michael, 41, told the Mirror: “He asked me ‘what is the difference between snow men and snow women? … snowballs!’. Everyone laughed.”

Ironically, Michael was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November 2022 and chose an aggressive approach to the treatment, which led to him being nicknamed ‘single jingle’ by his son. He said: “I’d already told [Prince Harry] a joke my son made up and told him he owed me one back, so after he’d met a couple of other people he came back and found me. He’s got a good sense of humour and he’s very engaging.

“For a man of his calibre and his stature to make the time is fantastic. He makes the time to talk to people and remembers them from previous times he’s met them. He cares.” Telling how the Invictus Games have helped him, Michael added: “It’s given me redemption.”

Ashley Christman, 45, from southern California said: “He’s incredibly down to earth and personable. And as a fellow service member he has been out there alongside us suffering through the same kinds of environments that we have seen and so he gets it and our battles. It feels like he is just part of the brotherhood and sisterhood as well. It doesn’t feel like he’s royalty. He’s just one of us.”

Meghan Markle was with Prince Harry for the first few days but then returned home as planned ( 
Image:
Humphrey Nemar)
Jacquelyn Marty, 57, from Kentucky, said: “I feel like Invictus has given me a drive and a purpose. I love goals and trying to achieve or surpass them. It gives me a purpose in life. I don’t have my military community nearby so this is my community and I love it.”

The trio spoke out on Friday – day eight of this year’s Invictus Games, which are being held in Vancouver and Whistler, hours after the publication of a new interview in which he told how he wants his children to attend the Invictus Games.

The royal was accompanied by wife Meghan, 43, for the first five days of this year’s championships, but their kids Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, stayed at home in California and have yet to attend the event, which Harry founded for injured service people in 2014.

Harry said: “I’d love for them to experience the Invictus spirit first-hand one day. Right now, they’re still young, but we already talk about the importance of resilience, community, and service—everything Invictus represents.”

Athletes, including members of Team Nigeria, were delighted to see the Prince ( 
Image:
AP)
Harry, who is expected to remain at the Games until after Sunday’s closing ceremony, is no stranger to Canada, after he and Meghan moved to Vancouver Island after quitting the UK in 2020, in what became known as ‘Megxit’. He and Meghan also began their relationship with secret dates and stays in Toronto, where she lived while starring in hit TV show Suits for five years.

Speaking about this year’s Games, Harry said: “It feels like a full-circle moment. Canada has been so kind to us over the years, and to be back here for another Invictus Games eight years later—married, with two amazing kids—is awesome! Spending time with our Invictus community is always a privilege.

This year’s Invictus is the seventh held after previous Games in London, Orlando, Toronto, Sydney, the Hague and Dusseldorf, and is the first that has included winter sports, including alpine skiing, biathlon and wheelchair curling. Harry said: “The highlight so far has been seeing competitors and their families take to the snow in Whistler.

Harry looked as though he was enjoying the visit ( 
Image:
AP)“Introducing winter sports to the Invictus Games is a huge milestone—one we’ve been working toward for a long time—so witnessing both the competition and the pure joy on everyone’s faces makes me really happy. The welcome, the hospitality, the scenery—the entire experience has been life-changing for so many, and we are incredibly grateful to all Canadians for the life-ong memories created during these Games.”

Speaking to Town & Country, the Duke of Sussex added: “The Invictus Games give us all an opportunity to recognise, celebrate, and honor this incredible community for their service and sacrifice. The stories shared and amplified through accurate, honest reporting are exactly what the world needs—stories of resilience, strength, and the best of the human spirit.”