Prince Harry 'Gets Recharged' at the Invictus Games: 'He's with His People Now,’ Athlete Says

"His focus is on understanding the athletes," Invictus Games alumnus Mike Bourgeois tells PEOPLE

Prince Harry has a singular focus at the Invictus Games: connecting with the competitors.

During the Duke of Sussex's trip to Canada with his wife Meghan Markle's, 42, for the  Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025's One Year to Go celebrations, the royal couple met with participating athletes and alumni from various nations set to compete in the winter adaptive sports competition next year.

Mike Bourgeois, who served as a member of Canada's archery team at the 2020 Invictus Games in The Netherlands, shared insights with reporters, including PEOPLE, on his conversation with Harry while showing him around Whistler's training camp on Wednesday.

"He's genuinely interested in your journey. How's your coaching? What's the learning experience like? How are you being treated?" Bourgeois recounted, detailing Harry's inquiries. "He even asked one person about their accommodation and thoughts on the food."

"His focus is on understanding the athletes. It's about recognizing those embarking on a journey of recovery. That's what drives him," Bourgeois added.

Related: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Cozy Up in Canada on Valentine's Day for Invictus Games Countdown

Bourgeois became involved in the Invictus Games after suffering a spinal cord injury during his initial training with the Canadian Armed Forces. This injury led to severe mobility degradation, reduced multitasking ability, and poor short-term memory. After a heart attack at 48 years old, he knew he had to make a change. Bourgeois took up archery and joined Team Canada for the Invictus Games.

"I can only speak from my own experience. For us, you go from struggling in silence because it’s a pride thing. With the military, you never want to admit that you’re broken or injured. It's always game-based, always machine-focused," Bourgeois added.

"I think that when you get exposed to this level of recognition where the Duke of Sussex gets down on his hands and knees and looks you in the eyes and talks to you, it’s like you’re somebody," he continued. "He sees you and hears you. That’s what it was like for me. And I know that’s what it was like for a lot of my teammates."

Related: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Celebrate Valentine's Day with Romantic Dinner in Canada: See the Menu!

When Harry and Meghan arrived at the resort bundled up in warm winter clothes to brave the icy temperatures, Bourgeois and his wife Lori were among the four people to welcome the couple. During their time on the mountain, the Invictus Games alum served as an ambassador to Harry and Meghan taking them to check out the sit ski, standing ski, and visually impaired stations of the resort.

Throughout the day, Bourgeois couldn't help but notice how "super genuine" the Duke was. He said, "This is where the Prince gets recharged. He’s with his people now; he’s with the soldiers and the veterans, and that’s shared experiences."

He continued, "And so you can just watch him get filled up as the day goes on. In the moment, he cares about each and every individual athlete and their families. So that was really the whole day. And with the Duchess, we’re just chit-chatting while Prince Harry is doing his thing."

"He knows he’s on a tight timeline, but he just really doesn’t care too much. If he can get an extra 10 minutes with an athlete, he’s right down in the snow," Bourgeois added. "When an athlete asks, can I get a picture for my kids? Then the plan goes out the window because Harry is going to get down in the snow, and you’re going to take a picture for the kids."

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Prince Harry and Meghan will spend three days meeting with members of the participating nations' Winter Training Camp, organized before the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025. The camp brings together members of the international Invictus Community, including team managers, coaches, and competitors, to experience winter adaptive sports before the official competition next year.

The Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 will be the first winter edition of the competition, introducing winter sports. Next February, athletes can compete in alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, Nordic skiing, skeleton, and wheelchair curling for the first time, in addition to the core Invictus sports of indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair rugby.

"As Invictus continues to adapt and evolve, I am extremely excited to announce that the Invictus Games Foundation has selected Canada to host the first-ever Winter Hybrid Games in 2025," Prince Harry said in a statement regarding the news.

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