Page Text: Army veteran's pride at representing UK
Calling him her "incredible husband", she described the duke as "the founder of the Invictus Games, and the father to our two little ones, Archie and Lili".
The duke said in his address that the Ukrainian team had told him on Friday they had come "not simply to show your strength but to tell your truth, the truth, of what is happening in your country".
"You know we stand with you. The world is united with you and still you deserve more," the duke said.
"And my hope is that these events, this event, creates the opportunity in how we as a global community can better show up for you."
The duke also revealed his two-year-old son, Archie, had expressed a wish to follow in his father's footsteps by becoming a pilot.
Harry was an Apache helicopter pilot in the army in a tour of Afghanistan during 2012-13.
Speaking about the importance of character, the duke told the opening ceremony: "When I talk to my son Archie about what he wants to be when he grows up, some days it's an astronaut, other days it's a pilot - a helicopter pilot obviously...
"But what I remind him is that no matter what you want to be when you grow up, it's your character that matters most, and nothing would make his mum and me prouder than to see him have the character of what we see before us today."
Earlier, the duke and duchess of Sussex joined in with a junior driving contest where they were driven round a circuit in miniature Land Rovers.
The duke then took to a full-size car to complete his driving challenge, taking on a course featuring bridges, ramps and rocks.
Image source, Reuters
The duke and duchess visited the Zuiderpark in The Hague at lunchtime
Image source, Reuters
Prince Harry was driven in a miniature car by four-year-old Dutch girl Scarlet Vroegop
Image source, EPA
Image caption,
The duchess' driver was five-year-old French girl Mya Poirot
The opening ceremony included performances by the Kaiser Chiefs, along with a military band, Dutch singer-songwriter Anneke van Giersbergen, and Hague-based rock band DI-RECT.
The 2022 edition of the Invictus Games runs until next Friday. The city was originally due to host the event in 2020 but it was postponed due to the Covid pandemic.
Competitors will take part in events including archery, athletics, wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball.
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
The duke and duchess arrive for the opening ceremony in The Hague
The duke was inspired to set up the games after seeing the 2013 Warrior Games in the US, where injured and retired service personnel competed.
The first edition of the games was held in London in 2014, with subsequent competitions being held in the US, Canada, and Australia.
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