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COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - JANUARY 1: Prince Joachim of Denmark and Princess Marie of Denmark during a New Year's Gala at Amalienborg Palace on January 1, 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo by Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty Images)© Getty Images

Why this Prince and Princess are heading to Canada

The Danish Royal House shared a message ahead of the couple's visit


FEBRUARY 13, 2025 5:27 PM EST

Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark will be spending Valentine's Day at the Invictus Games. The Danish royal couple will be at Prince Harry's sporting competition in Canada on Friday and Saturday. On the eve of their first day at the event, the Danish Royal house shared that, with their attendance, King Frederik's younger brother and sister-in-law want to "emphasize the importance of support and community for those who have served their country."

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 19: Prince Joachim of Denmark and his wife, Princess Marie of Denmark, pose for a portrait at the Embassy of Denmark in Washington, DC on March 19, 2024. (Photo by Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)© Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Alongside a photo of the Prince and Princess, the Royal House wrote (translated to English), "Their Royal Highnesses Prince Joachim and Princess Marie will attend the multi-sport event Invictus Games on 14 and 15 February. The Prince and Princess will visit the Danish athletes, attend training sessions and be among the spectators during several of the competitions.The Invictus Games, founded to support wounded and serving veterans, brings together up to 550 participants from around the world in a celebration of willpower, unity and sportsmanship."

"The competitions will take place over nine days in the Canadian cities of Vancouver and Whistler. The presence at the Invictus Games is part of the Prince and Princess's continued commitment to veterans, and Their Royal Highnesses wish to emphasize the importance of support and community for those who have served their country," the caption continued.

According to the Danish Royal House's official program, Prince Joachim and Princess Marie will meet the rowing team, as well as players from the volleyball team and watch training on Friday, and participate in a meeting and joint dinner with Danish participants and their relatives. Then on Saturday, they'll attend volleyball matches, along with a reception for Danish participants, their relatives and officials, and later attend an official reception for the Invictus Games.

Like Prince Harry, Joachim and Marie live in the states. The Danish royal couple moved in 2023 to Washington, D.C., where Joachim works as the defence industry attaché at the Embassy of Denmark. 

The Invictus Games won’t be the first time that Joachim and Harry have met. The Duke of Sussex paid a two-day visit to Denmark in 2017, during which he and Joachim visited the Danish Veteran Centre in Copenhagen. At the time, the British royal family's Instagram account wrote that Harry and the Danish Prince visited a "project which supports veterans of the Danish Armed Forces" and "TRH were introduced to the Centre for Military Physical Training and briefed on the Danish approach to veteran rehabilitation."

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - OCTOBER 26:  Prince Harry meets Prince Joachim of Denmark at they visit a Wounded Veteran Programme on October 26, 2017 in Copenhagen, Denmark.  (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)© Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage

The Danish Royal House's Instagram account also shared a photo of Harry and Joachim from the Duke's 2017 visit, writing (translated to English), "HRH Prince Joachim participated this morning together with HRH Prince Harry in a meeting with Danish participants in the Invictus Games at Svanemøllens Kaserne in Copenhagen."

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - FEBRUARY 10: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speak on stage at the Whistler Welcoming Ceremony during day two of the 2025 Invictus Games on February 10, 2025 in Whistler, British Columbia. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)© Samir Hussein/WireImage

While Joachim will be joined by his wife Marie in Canada, Harry's spouse, Meghan Markle, has already returned home to California. The Duchess of Sussex left the Invictus Games early. HOLA! USA understands that it was a pre-planned arrangement to ensure that Meghan could be with her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, while Prince Harry continued to support the remainder of the games in Canada. On Wednesday, Meghan shared a photo of souvenirs that she brought back home for her kids, writing on her Instagram Story: "A taste of Canada and The Invictus Games for our little ones! Cheering you on from home!"

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