"Heart of Invictus" documentary series, streaming 30 August 2023

[MrsMaxDeWinter]

The trailer for 'Heart of Invictus" has been released by Netflix, and it looks incredible, and so moving.

For those interested, please find it here.

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@MissElinorDashwood 💐to you and your daughter

Invictus is the best thing Harry will ever do, career wise. An amazing initiative and one I hope has longevity (of course it’s largely run now independent of Harry from London but he is their figurehead) as it teaches us the power of hope, purpose and sport.

An amazing organisation and one which I hope has a succession plan for longevity.

Do you have proof of it being largely run now independent of Harry from London or is that an assumption?

The Oscar-Winning ‘Heart of Invictus’ Team on Filming in Ukraine and Collaborating With Prince Harry

JoannaNatasegara: For us, Prince Harry’s commitment to the Invictus community was very clear, and very obvious. He is in and of that community — and so you see that within the show.

Natasegara: Unsurprisingly, he’s very engaged with this project. He cares deeply about the community, cares deeply about how those people are presented. He cares deeply about mental health, and about sport as a tool for recovery. So he was a great partner. We really enjoyed making this series, top to bottom.

https://variety.com/2023/tv/features/heart-of-invictus-prince-harry-netflix-documentary-interview-1235707024/

https://www.invictusgamesfoundation.org/behind-invictus

He doesn’t actually run it. He never has but he is the patron. But I guess I’ve answered my own question too as in he doesn’t need to be there for it to run and that it will hopefully keep going for many many years.

@MissElinorDashwood My heart goes out to your daughter and you. I’m really glad to hear watching this series has made the day a better one for you both.

Having a feeling of connection to the rest of society is so necessary, and I think many of us have connected with these veterans.

It wouldn’t have been easy for them to share their experiences and feelings, but I am grateful they did.

I’m up to the point where Yuliia is going back to war. She is quoted saying:

“In this sorrowful senselessness,
poured out over the final crossroad,
the soul gets bogged down.
The translucent final day of winter,
after the snow melts away and exposes the bloody mess.
The full scale of the tragedy is now being laid bare”

There is more, I’ve googled a few lines of this and am getting no results. I’m thinking that perhaps it’s Yuliia who wrote it?

If only people were as supportive of veterans as they claim to be when defending Harry. More UK military personnel have committed suicide since the conclusion of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan than died during combat. Although the NHS has recieved funding specifically to support veterans with their mental health its still woefully inadequate. Rehabilitation units are slowly being closed down, and still some are fighting for adaptions for their homes years on. A high % of homeless people are ex military. There are so many dedicated and amazing volunteers who offer wonderful services to personnel in lieu of the government who invariably abandon them; I hope people consider donating or supporting these initiatives after watching this. Also I hate the S*N but they were and have been ridiculously supportive of veterans for many years, it's not true that the media didn't report on injured personnel.

I always think it’s so cruel how people were prepared to lay down their lives for us and we don’t even seem to be able to lay down a few quid. Invictus is a great initiative and of course W does a lot with homelessness, but it’s not enough on its own.

Absolutely! I'm indifferent to Harry in general but I do think putting energy into this which he clearly feels passionately about is a good thing and its sad some feel the need to criticise him even for this. The reality is that as time passes those left with the scars of war become more and more forgotten even though often their struggles become worse; releasing this now will hopefully open up more people's eyes to the lack of support. My DB as I mentioned earlier was badly injured, and a lot said well it was your choice to join (he joined as a medic), thank goodness people do choose to join though, we need a military regardless of whether the government make reckless decisions. Anyway, hope everyone is enjoying the series.

I started this thread to talk about the Invictus documentary, and Harry's work with Invictus. It is not about his school grades, his titles, or a platform for people to vent their antipathy towards him and his wife Meghan.

I appreciate that Harry and Meghan are polarising figures, but every poster on Mumsnet has the opportunity to start new threads instead of derailing a thread meant for a specific discussion.

Thank you so much to @MNHQ for that message.

I look forward to reading all the insightful posts when I have watched the full series this weekend.

'started this thread to talk about the Invictus documentary, and Harry's work with Invictus'

The comments he made that I've mentioned are actually from the documentary, I'm not just making stuff up. Also it isn't just my sole opinion it is all over the internet and the news that his 'I got no support' comment is not correct. Whether he wanted that support or was able to accept it is a different matter.

Thank you @Roussette @skullbabe and @ALittleTeawithmilk

This.

We were talking about veterans which is the whole point of the documentary, interrupting that with complaints about derailing are actually derailing.

I haven't watched the series just because it doesn't appeal to me.
BUT I'm happy to see that most of the reviews are positive.
I do think this is something that Harry deserves a lot of credit for.
It's a shame he can't find purpose in other projects.
Obviously he has Sentebale and I understand a similar documentary is in the pipeline.
It's just a shame that so much of his reactive behaviour has overshadowed this.
I hope this will give him the confidence that he is 'good enough' in his own right and forge ahead using his profile for these kind of projects.
Not always been a fan of his decisions but hopefully this will give his life meaning and purpose and help him to
Shed his ghosts and move forward.
I still squirm and find it uncomfortable with some of his decisions , but I don't
Believe there's anything negative that can be said when he uses his natural compassion and empathy for good.

I came on to say much the same thing .
Invictus is a wonderful initiative and the bit I have watched is very moving and I think Invictus is probably the best thing he has ever done .
However , it is unfortunate that Harry’s “ woes” seem to almost overshadow the series !
@MrsMaxDeWinter as I have been told before , threads meander ! Nearly every thread criticising H and M almost always descends into what about Andrew ? You can’t dictate what people say unless it’s against the guidelines.
The fact is that Harry has - yet again - completely contradicted himself regarding the support he received when he was a young man .
As he has said this during a programme which should have been solely concentrating on the veterans, it is inevitable and unfortunate that his comments are what is being discussed in the media today .,

I agree that the things Harry mentioned in the documentary are totally relevant to this thread

And once Harry has brought them up as part of the documentary, it's right they are discussed.

The period of military personnel returning from Afghanistan (and Iraq) was a time when - for much of the public and across the tabloids - there was a great deal of support which led to action - both large (the setting up of Help4Heroes, (originally formed for capital projects to benefit veterans of those two conflicts specifically) and Combat Stress (plus the NHS formation of specific units for veterans) - and small (such as the pillorying of those who objected to the creation of a hostel for families visiting Headley Court)

If you were involved in those (then) new initiatives, you know you were doing, and perhaps are still doing, the right things - as were all the major Service charities who aided those veterans, plus all the ones from other conflicts. It's not right to have the actual support systems left out of the picture.

I made it to halfway through episode 4 and I think I’m going to stop there because it’s far too long and there’s other things I want to do with my life 😆

Overall I’d rate it 3/5.

He largely succeeded in steering it away from being all about himself. I think when H first left the RF this was what most of us imagined he was going to do. It definitely showed the best of him. There was also quite an accidentally funny moment where the interviewer asked him what he does and you got the impression he’d never been asked that question before.

The veterans were brilliant and inspiring, I just wish their stories had been told in a less choppy manner. Maybe 1-2 stories per episode.

@PrincessTigger yes it is an amusing reply !

'The period of military personnel returning from Afghanistan (and Iraq) was a time when - for much of the public and across the tabloids - there was a great deal of support which led to action - both large (the setting up of Help4Heroes, (originally formed for capital projects to benefit veterans of those two conflicts specifically) and Combat Stress (plus the NHS formation of specific units for veterans) - and small (such as the pillorying of those who objected to the creation of a hostel for families visiting Headley Court)'

Exactly how can he say it was never in the news?! It was rightly never out of the news. Many were greatly affected by the repatriation of both wounded and dead Servicemen and women.

He does a disservice to the cause when he throws in his own media loathing issues. Keep to the facts, keep the focus on the Vets.

@MissElinorDashwood

Thank you so much for sharing about your daughter and your feelings on watching the documentary. I will be thinking of you both when I watch it too.

@Janiie and @Mylovelygreendress you are regular posters on these threads, so I am familiar with your views. To avoid derailing as requested by @MNHQ, I won't be engaging in a tit for tat with you. Thank you for understanding.

This is well worth a read.

An interview with the Director and Producer of 'Heart of Invictus'. (both past Oscar winners)

They talk about how the subjects of the stories came about, and making sure they were comfortable with talking about their experiences, working with a psychologist, making sure they were happy with what they were doing etc.

https://variety.com/2023/tv/features/heart-of-invictus-prince-harry-netflix-documentary-interview-1235707024/

It’s like they can’t help themselves. Now the it seems that the criticism is that Invictus is positioning themselves as the only support for veterans when it is more than apparent from this documentary and other reports, even in this very thread, that though there is support, the support veterans receive is inadequate through needing to depend on charity and inadequate funding. One would hope that programmes like these would drive many to support veterans in their own communities through whichever frameworks are available to them. Certainly I see a push for that sort of action in the other social media platforms I engage in.

At some point Harry needs to be treated like a grown up… not only did he give the interview, he was executive producer. He would expect everything he says to be scrutinised. If he said something that isn’t true or previously contradicted, he would expect that to be reported. If it distracts from the veterans - well then he shouldn’t have said it. It wasn’t even really needed for the documentary, the Harry bits seemed out of place anyway.

If you can't debate points from the documentary which you find difficult, which is what this thread is about, it is fine to just ignore posters you don't need to announce you won't engage.

I understand it is a highly emotive subject. No one can possibly have anything but the utmost respect for the participants. However It is actually ok to query the incorrect comments the Patron has made though, it isn't hating to say why would he say the awful situation including injuries and deaths wasn't in the the news when it wasn't out of the news?!