Prince Harry Serenades Missy Franklin & Cheers on Wounded Veterans at Warrior Games [VIDEO/PHOTOS]
Britain's Prince Harry had a busy weekend, singing Happy Birthday to Olympic medalist Missy Franklin on May 10 and then cheering on wounded British and American soldiers competing in this year's Warrior Games the following day.
The royal attended the opening ceremonies in Colorado of the four-year-old international sports competition. The Warrior Games is a competition for wounded service members. The opening ceremonies took place at the U.S. Olympic Training Center with 260 servicemen and women, 35 of which are from the British Armed Forces.
The third in line to the British throne joked with Franklin at the opening ceremonies, charmed state officials at formal gatherings, and played an exhibition round of sitting volleyball with British troops, with American Olympic champion Misty May-Treanor on the other side of the net. As a member of the British armed forces, who has deployed to Afghanistan three times, Prince Harry has a deep affection for the military and those who serve.
He lent his clout to draw attention to the Warrior Games and hoped it will be as big as the Paralympics one day. Prince Harry already has grand visions for the Warrior Games. He said he wanted to bring them to Britain and make them an event every bit as popular as the Paralympic Games, which drew huge crowds in London last summer.
"I don't see how it wouldn't be possible to fill a stadium with 80,000 people, not to watch Olympics, not to watch Paralympics, but to watch wounded servicemen fight it out amongst each other - not on a battlefield but in a stadium," he said, according to media reports.
The Paralympics began in much the same way, as wounded veterans returning to Britain after World War II were encouraged to take part in sport as a means of therapy and building self-esteem. Now that the Paralympics - like the Olympics themselves - have become an enormous international event, the original intent has been somewhat eclipsed. That created an opening for the establishment of the Warrior Games in 2010.
Watch the video below to see Prince Harry sing with others Happy Birthday. Click here for photos from Prince Harry's weekend adventures.
