All the Best Photos from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Trip to Canada for the Invictus Games Countdown

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in Vancouver and Whistler for the Invictus Games 2025's One Year to Go celebrations

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are spending the week anticipating the 2025 Invictus Games.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex ventured up to Canada for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025's One Year to Go celebrations. The royal couple were on-site at Winter Training Camp with athletes from participating nations who are set to compete in the sports competition for service personnel and veterans next year.

The 2025 Invictus Games in British Columbia will be the first edition of the athletic trials to include winter sports and the seventh-ever tournament since Prince Harry founded the adaptive sporting event in 2014.

See photos of Prince Harry and Meghan on the ground in Whistler and Vancouver, where they've met service personnel and veterans demonstrating how much one can achieve post-injury.

Cooling Off in Canada

Ahead of the 2025 Invictus Games, the Duke and Duchess are visiting the Winter Training Camp to chat with members set to compete next year. The couple bundled up in warm winter clothes to brave the below-freezing temperatures on Wednesday in Whistler, where they spoke with athletes in adaptive skis and their guides.

The Countdown Begins

Meghan wore a few romantic nods to Prince Harry on Valentine's Day, including a winter beanie that she wore while dating the royal and her engagement ring, which she was seen without in recent months.

The Full Experience

During their trip, Prince Harry got to experience a taste of the competition when he got into an adaptive ski and tried a run for himself.

Snap a Pic

According to a video posted on X by Rebecca Lewis of Hello! magazine, Meghan borrowed a phone to take a photo of her husband sitting in the adaptive ski on Wednesday.

She reportedly wanted to "show the kids," referring to their 4-year-old son, Prince Archie, and 2-year-old daughter, Princess Lilibet.

New Opportunities

When the Invictus Games commence next February, competing athletes will vie for gold medals in new winter adaptive sports like alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, Nordic skiing, skeleton and wheelchair curling.

Seventh Year Running

After serving as a captain in the British Army, Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014. Its name comes from the Latin word for “unconquered."

Challenging Feats

On the ground in Canada, PEOPLE spoke to several new and seasoned Invictus athletes about how they're preparing for the competition in 2025.

Ivan Morera, who represented Team U.S.A. in Germany last year, is learning how to ski and snowboard for the upcoming games.

"I love to challenge myself just to build resilience and show that I'm still capable of being physically active even with my adaptation. I've had a great time here," he told PEOPLE.

Meet & Greet

Morera, who is a single-arm amputee following an incident while he was serving Afghanistan, told PEOPLE he has "a lot of respect" for the Duke of Sussex.

"I look forward to meeting Prince Harry, just shaking his hand and, 'Hey, thank you for your service and thank you for this opportunity," Morera said at Winter Training Camp.

'Like a Family'

Rosa Sanchez Bermudez, the Invictus Games' first female competitor from Colombia told PEOPLE, "Invictus Games are like a family."

This week marks her first time meeting Prince Harry and Meghan, even though she competed in Germany in 2023. "I'm happy and proud about that," said Sanchez Bermudez, who was injured in her work as a police officer.

Overcoming & Achieving

Nearly two years ago, Prince Harry opened up about how the Invictus Games changed his life in an exclusive PEOPLE cover story.

"Life is full of extraordinary gifts and challenges, many that can be seen as lessons," he said in April 2022, when the postponed 2020 Invictus Games took place. "Over time, I've learned that how we mentally approach and react to the ups and downs — those gifts and challenges — is what helps to define our own outcome."

An Honorable Sacrifice

Prince Harry continued, "When I was in the Army, I promised myself I would be out before having a wife and kids, because I couldn't imagine the heartache of being apart for so long during deployment, the risk of possibly getting injured, and the reality that my family's lives could be changed forever if that happened."

"Every member of the Invictus community has experienced varying degrees of these things," the royal told PEOPLE. "I have tremendous respect for what they and their families sacrifice in the name of service."

The Full Experience

On Thursday, Prince Harry braved the skeleton track at the Whistler Sliding Center, laying head-first on his stomach on the skeleton-bobsled to fly down a frozen track.

Caught on Camera

Meghan excitedly filmed Harry's run on her phone, and dozens of spectators cheered him on by ringing yellow cowbells.

Let's Go Again

Prince Harry, who reached speeds of over 60 miles per hour on his run, even went for a second ride!

Sitting One Out

When a photographer suggested Meghan take a turn on the skeleton track, she quipped, "No way!"

Supporting Veterans

Invictus Games Team Canada alumni Major Joanna Labonté tells PEOPLE, "We really believe as athletes and as veterans that Prince Harry and Meghan genuinely support what we do, and we will always be grateful for how they brought this visibility to the Invictus Games."

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