Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Arrive Hand-in-Hand for 1-Year Countdown for Invictus Games in Germany

Janine Henni
·4 min read
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are already fired up about next year's Invictus Games!

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped out in Düsseldorf, Germany on Tuesday for the Invictus Games' One Year to Go event.

Harry, 37, and Meghan, 41, walked a red carpet hand-in-hand and were greeted by local officials at city hall. The couple also made sure to give a few pets to a service dog named Loki, who was sporting an Invictus Games bandana — after all, the animal lovers have three dogs at home in California, including their newest member of the family, Mia.

RELATED: The Prince Harry Interview: On Meghan, Fatherhood and How the Invictus Games Changed His Life

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive for the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 - One Year To Go events on September 06, 2022 in Dusseldorf, Germany
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive for the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 - One Year To Go events on September 06, 2022 in Dusseldorf, Germany

Samir Hussein/WireImage Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

The German hub was first announced as a future host city for the Invictus Games — Harry's international adaptive sports competition for injured, sick and wounded service personnel and veterans — in 2020 with the event initially set for 2022. However, when the coronavirus pandemic delayed the 2020 Invictus Games in The Hague, the Netherlands until 2022, preparations for Düsseldorf were also bumped back.

Meghan Markle, Prine Harry
Meghan Markle, Prine Harry

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

Now, the Invictus Games are finally set to commence in the German city from September 9 to 16, 2023.

For more on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

A cause close to his heart, Prince Harry launched the Paralympic-style sports tournament in 2014 after attending the 2013 Warrior Games in the U.S., inspired by the transformative physical, psychological and social powers of sports for those who have served.

06 September 2022, North Rhine-Westphalia, Duesseldorf: Britain's Prince Harry (2nd from right), Duke of Sussex, and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (r), arrive in front of City Hall and talk to Sergeant Major Steffi Schenke (l) and to Lorraine Grosse-Frintrop, who has already been successful as an athlete at the Invictus Games in the past. The prince and his wife are coming to Düsseldorf to promote the "Invictus Games" 2023, which Prince Harry helped to launch. These are Paralympic competitions for soldiers who have been injured in war. Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa (Photo by Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

"The word 'invictus' means 'unconquered,' " the Invictus Games Foundation explained in a statement. "It embodies the fighting spirit of wounded, injured and sick Service personnel and personifies what these tenacious men and women can achieve post injury. The Games harness the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for those who serve their country."

At the most recent Invictus Games, the prince exclusively spoke with PEOPLE about how the competition and its mission changed his life.

"Life is full of extraordinary gifts and challenges, many that can be seen as lessons," the Duke of Sussex, 37, told PEOPLE exclusively. "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."

DUSSELDORF, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 06: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visits the city hall during the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 - One Year To Go events on September 6, 2022 in Dusseldorf, Germany. The Invictus Games will be held in Germany for the first time in September 2023. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Attending Invictus for the first time as a husband to Meghan Markle and father to son Archie, 3, and daughter Lilibet, 1, Harry touched on how the event felt different after so much in his personal life had changed.

"There is nowhere you can feel more embraced and supported than with the Invictus family," he said of the Games, which he attended with Meghan. "The Toronto Games were our first time out and about publicly in an official way. We were dating at the time, so it was a lot to take in, but fortunately, we were with the perfect community for that."

"Now, five years later, here we are in The Hague at the fifth Invictus Games, as parents of two, and living in the U.S.," he added. "I had always wanted to share these incredible moments with someone special, and to have Meg by my side means everything."

06 September 2022, North Rhine-Westphalia, Duesseldorf: Britain's Prince Harry (3rd from right, Duke of Sussex, and his wife Meghan (l), Duchess of Sussex, arrive in front of City Hall and walk a red carpet alongside Alfred Marstaller (r), Brigadier General, and Stephan Keller (CDU, 2nd from right,), Lord Mayor of the state capital Düsseldorf. The prince and his wife are coming to Düsseldorf to promote the "Invictus Games" 2023, which Prince Harry helped launch. These are Paralympic competitions for soldiers injured in war. Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa (Photo by Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance via Getty Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

Harry and Meghan are in Europe this week for a series of charitable events. They kicked off the trip in Manchester, England on Monday for the One Young World Summit and are expected to return to the U.K. for the Well Child Awards on Thursday.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were last in the U.K. in June to help celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee. During their visit, they also introduced Lilibet to the monarch and her grandfather Prince Charles for the first time.

Charles, 73, was said to be overjoyed — in what a source called an "emotional" visit — to also see his grandson Archie.