Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Watch UK Team Trials For Invictus Games

With just weeks before their wedding, Prince Harry of Wales and Meghan Markle stepped out in Bath, England, to watch the U.K. team trials for the 2018 Invictus Games.

The couple visited the University of Bath’s sports training village in rural England to meet British athletes taking part in team trials to find out who will be participating in this year’s competition. Though Prince Harry attends the trials every year, the British media estimated the crowd was about four times larger this year due to Markle’s attendance.

The Invictus Games hold a very special spot in Prince Harry’s heart as he helped found it in 2014 after he served in the British Army. The Invictus Games is a Paralympic-style competition for wounded service members. Kensington Palace said the competition uses the “power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect of all those who serve the country.’’

The event was run by the charity Help for Heroes, which Prince Harry works with very closely, as well as the Ministry for Defence, the Royal British Legion and the Endeavour Fund. 

This year, the competition will take place in Sydney, Australia, and will feature more than 500 competitors from 18 different nations in 11 different-adaptive sports. The Invictus Games will take place from Oct. 18 to Oct. 29.

The couple plan on heading to Sydney to watch the competition, it will be the first overseas trip for Markle as a new member of the royal family. It will also be the first time Australians will get a chance to meet the royal couple.

Last year’s Invictus Games in Toronto was also memorable for the couple, as it was Markle’s first official public royal engagement with Harry when she attended the Games’ opening ceremony.