Prince Harry‘s highly-anticipated appearance in Düsseldorf, Germany for the Invictus Games was met with mixed reactions. While some royal fans were delighted to see him at the games, an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick service personnel, many others took issue with his speech during the Opening Ceremony – particularly when he started talking about “respect.”
Prince Harry Talks About Respect In Invictus Games Speech
Some royal fans thought that the Duke of Sussex, who turned 39 on September 15th, was a little hypocritical by talking about the importance of respect in his speech; especially as they deemed that he had little to no respect for the royal family. His speech needs to be heard in order to be believed!
"This year's games is a home for respect," he said during his speech on September 9th. "Think about that word for a second. Respect. What does it mean to you? What does it look like? What does it feel like?" he asked.
"Some people may act like respect is something that veterans are asking for, that people with injuries — whether visible or invisible — have to demonstrate they're worthy of it," he continued, adding, "Some of you here may sometimes feel that way about yourselves. That you have something to prove. But I've been thinking about something one of the competitors featured in the Heart of Invictus shared. Mr. Na from South Korea said, 'I don't think we overcome disabilities. We overcome perceptions of ourselves in society.'"
"These games are not solely about medals, PBs or finishing lines. They are about overcoming any and all perceptions that held you back, especially those you've placed on yourselves," he added, before being met with a standing ovation. However, while his speech was met with applause from the audience who were in attendance, not everyone on the internet felt the same way.
Fan Comments
"By all respect, please Harry don't try to tell anybody what respect is. Put into practice what you are trying to teach!" exclaimed one fan in a YouTube video featuring parts of his speech, as another asked, "What does respect look like to you Harry?" "What does he know about respect?" questioned another YouTube user. "PH DARES to talk about RESPECT!!! ugh," wrote another disgruntled fan, as another said: "He's got a check talking about respect considering how he treated his grandparents at end of life." "Respect! When he and [his] wife didn't give the respect to his grandmother and his family," concurred another.
"Respect! Unbelievable," commented another fan, in apparent disbelief, as another wondered, "Is this a joke Harry?" Another fan said: "Respect? Harry just trolling us now." Yikes! "I can’t listen to anything he says don’t care what he thinks about respect I only respect the veterans and people who from a good heart are making this competition possible," stated another. "He just unlocked a new level of narcissism. To actually lecture people about respect when you have absolutely none and haven't bothered to show any of your own is amazeballs," someone else commented.
