'Spirit of Invictus' train launches in London ahead of Prince Harry's 2027 games
A special train launched to mark a year until the Invictus Games in the U.K.
LONDON -- Prince Harry is back in the United Kingdom this week to mark one year until he brings his Invictus Games back home to Birmingham, England.
Media coverage of Harry's trip to the U.K. has so far been largely focused on awkward family dynamics, his defeat in a high-profile court case, and his longstanding argument with the U.K. government over his security, with his work for the Invictus community largely overshadowed by these more controversial story lines.
But gathered on platform 16 at London's Euston Station on Thursday morning was a group of people firmly focused on the 2027 Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style competition for wounded service members that Harry, a military veteran, launched over a decade ago.
Competitors, organizers, veterans and other members of the Invictus Community were preparing to board an Invictus-branded train from London to Birmingham to start the official countdown to next year's games, which will be held July 10-17, 2027.
"We want people to come all across the world -- certainly throughout this country -- to come to the games in one year's time, and we would love them to be traveling on this," former Invictus competitor JJ Chalmers said as he revealed the name of the train -- "The Spirit of Invictus" -- from behind a red velvet curtain.
Chalmers was a competitor in the first Invictus Games in London in 2014, and he credits it with changing his life and others, telling ABC News, "It's changed the [lives] and saved the [lives] of lots of people."
Harry -- who stepped away from his senior royal role in 2020 and now lives in California -- was not onboard the train due to an engagement at a children's hospital in Birmingham. But there was nonetheless a great deal of gratitude toward him for founding and fostering this community.
"The platform that Harry personally provides, he is a globally recognized person. He's a huge deal. He's bringing this huge platform," Dave Henson, another former Invictus Games competitor, told ABC News.
Henson added that while the competition occurs every two years, the community exists 24/7, saying, "That's driven by the Invictus Games Foundation and, ultimately, that was the creation and the passion of Prince Harry, who made that thing happen."
It is Harry's personal touch that elevates this community, Christopher Cox, the U.S. Team captain, told ABC News.
"When the prince comes ... he's personable. He'll talk to [Invictus competitors], share experiences of his combat experiences with theirs, and it forms that connection that is absolutely tremendous for these guys," Cox said.
Harry launched the first Invictus Games in 2014 after visiting the U.S. and attending the Warrior Games, which is organized annually by the Department of Defense. Today, 26 countries compete in the Invictus Games, including Uganda, the most recent country to join.
"The Invictus community knows no national flag, actually, because it reaches across international boundaries," said Jonny Ball, a British Army veteran and Invictus 2027 ambassador, adding that the games bring a sense of community for competitors.
"Sometimes recovery can be really lonely, but what Invictus gives you is that you're alone no more," he said. "And your family are alone no more, because there's the other families as well. That is what community gives you."
Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan, has spoken often about how important his time in the military was to him and the community it provided him.
"He's the same as us," Chalmers said of the prince. "We are never any happier than we are in this community."
ABC News royal contributor Victoria Murphy said that when Harry is involved with the Invictus Games, he is "in his element."
"This truly is his passion project, and when you speak to anyone involved with the Games, you really see how much of a difference it has made to so many people," Murphy said. "This is changing lives, and whatever else has happened with Harry, whether or not you agree with everything he has said and done, no one can take the impact of Invictus away from him."
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