The Duke of Sussex said that he is already talking to his two-year-old son Archie about what he wants to be when he grows up, and the two-year-old seemed to be interested in following in his father’s footsteps.
Harry stated Archie has showed an interest in becoming a pilot while speaking to the crowd at the Invictus Games opening ceremony in The Hague, Netherlands, with the duke joking that he obviously means a helicopter pilot.
During the years 2012-13, Harry worked as an Apache helicopter co-pilot gunner in Afghanistan.
Harry spoke to the crowd about role models and the significance of “character” to the crowd, which included former and current military men participating in the game.
He said:
To be role models, or the role models, that each of you are takes strength and it takes courage. 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. Or Kwazii from Octonauts. If you’re laughing then you’ve seen that. 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.
Harry said those involved with Invictus have “overcome immense challenges”, adding: “And together you are healing and teaching the world as you go.”
The duke had long fantasized about joining the army, and his bedroom was filled with photographs of tanks and helicopters when he was a boy.
He was in his element as an eight-year-old in 1993, when he dressed up in a small battle uniform and helmet and rode in a tank during a visit to Germany.
In 2005, he enrolled at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to train as an Army officer, after which he joined the Blues and Royals and underwent training to become a troop leader in an armored reconnaissance unit.
After a scheduled deployment to Iraq was canceled due to concerns that he might be a target for insurgents, he went on to serve in Afghanistan for two more tours, including one as an Apache helicopter pilot.
