"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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I think one of the bigger takeaways for me, because this is where I have work to do I guess, is how much they all help each other, the importance of 'community' or having a tribe, however you want to word it. I know it's important but I think I wrongly assumed the biggest thing for them would be the physical challenge and achievement. That clearly has huge significance but I think I underestimate the importance of being social and having people around you. I tend to think, oh I am just a hermit like my Dad and thats what some autistic people are like. I also watched the blue zones which reinforced the importance of friendship or community on our health. I didn't really think of it like that before. I have had so much going on and a lot of my friends didn't like hearing about my illness or mental health, a lot said, oh hey, you're strong, come on you can do this. So I felt judged often and then massively distanced myself from a lot of people. Its slightly better these days but both programmes kind of reminded me this is really an important part of life.

I could post so many 'behind the scenes' photos of Harry. Hugging the players, wearing the t shirt of Jenks and his wife (the coach who 'died' and couldn't attend) he was crying as her handed the medals to the team for the wheelchair rugby because he was so proud. When he gave a medal to a team member of the danish team who was too ill to take part and had been brought to the stadium in his hospital bed. How Megan chatted to the kids and had a laugh with them. How Harry remembers all the team and has little in jokes with them. Being in the 'nations home' where we all ate etc with all the competitors from every country was incredible. Everyone chats and shares stories and takes the piss (like all military people do when they get together). All the counties share their kits. We proudly wore our Ukraine cap to cheer on the team in the basketball. We have Australian, danish, US and Invictus helpers kits. Everyone just strips and swaps at the end. The most moving thing for me was the Ukrainian team. They got standing ovations every where they went. Everyone in the crowd was crying as they played their last game knowing what they were going back to. It wasn't shown but Harry and all dignitaries finished speeches with 'we stand with Ukraine'

@nonamesavailable123

Thank you for your posts, it is so good to hear what goes on behind the scenes from someone who was there. It's exactly what I thought
Well done to your DH and how exciting for your DCs.

Oh I loved reading your post @nonamesavailable123 that must of been so wonderful. I agree, the Ukrainian team was the most moving part. I kept wondering if they were scared to go home or if they could go home.

Amazing!!! I bet it’s incredible to watch in person too.

I’ve thought about going to watch wheelchair rugby as it looked really exciting in the documentary and my local team is meant to be good, hard to find tickets though x

@nonamesavailable123 thanks for your posts. They prove that none of this is all about Harry. It’s always been about the veterans and their families for him.

I hope your partner is doing well 💐

@PrincessTigger wheelchair rugby is great to go watch. It's very loud when they crash! It's so fast and action packed. The wheelchair rugby is more 'violent' than wheelchair rugby league but both are fun to watch. There is a help for heroes team now that has many of the 2022 Invictus team and some that are going again this year. Tom coaches them and sometimes plays but I think has been taking time out till recently whilst his new implants for his legs healed.

I've been thinking a lot about this thread.

I hope at some point Harry can move beyond some of what I consider to be his unwise public sharing and have people (by which I mainly mean the media) look at things like Invictus without dragging in things he has said in the past.

If Oprah and The Netflix documentary and Spare were ten years ago I don't think his comments about support would be so dissected and weaponised. Most people agree that society's and medical professionals' understanding of mental health and trauma grows every year, even in the few years since he returned. I'm sure that William and Charles did their best to support him but I know from my own mental illness that the support I got ten years ago was very different from the support that is available now.

I don't think this needs to be a case of heroes and villains but more people doing their best with the tools they had at the time. I hope that soon projects can be judged on their merits in the present rather than dragging in the past. All of them, Harry, Meghan, William, Catherine etc are doing their best and trying to help others. They make mistakes and they have amazing plans, and they are flawed, like everyone but through them projects get publicity and people can get backing for their campaigns.

Agree. Though Harry’s comments about his own support etc weren’t really necessary or relevant for the documentary anyway so I personally wouldn’t have included them in the final cut and avoided a controversy.

I also would have liked to see more of the actual games, not just snippets.

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 😆

@PrincessTigger did you watch the rest of it? The programme was following athletes in the build up to the games. More of the games was shown in the final episode but it was more about the athletes personal journeys.
I find it interesting you object to not seeing more of Meghan but the small amount of Harry, the founder and a veteran, you feel should be cut out.

I don’t think Harry should be cut out, I think the bits about his own life and anything that is going to be contentious (and anything that would be interpreted as a dig at the royals) should have been cut out. In the bits where he was talking to veterans, organising the games, and talking more generally he came across very well. And I say that as someone who has never been his biggest fan.

I hope this settles it.
A friend of the king and queen told The Daily Beast:

@MissElinorDashwood one quote?

Oh well if the Daily Beast say something it must be true.

@nonamesavailable123 Thank you so much for sharing what it’s like behind the scenes at the Invictus Games. I thoroughly enjoyed your account and shared it with my daughter also. She admires his work with The Invictus Games, Wellchild and Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund.

@TheFairyCaravan Please also update us about your son’s friend at this year’s games. I’d like to keep an eye out for him and cheer him on.

It was Gyles Brandreth, who is actually a friend of Charles. But people woukd rather believe ' Royal commentators' like ' Lady' Colin Campbell who was married to minor aristocracy for 6 months 30 years ago, or some child of someone who used to be the Queens butler or something, because they say that Charles never wants to see Harry again and is disgusted by him. Why is it do beyond belief that Charles actually says he lives Harry and Meghan and means it?

I actually can’t stand the daily beast. I just thought those who were defending the tabloids would appreciate this quote.

Anyway, I’m not going to comment any further and will no longer respond to similar posts.

I wish you all well.

Thank you @Angrycat2768 I didn’t know it was Giles Brandreth.
My daughter and I are fans of Radio 4: Just a Minute

lots of clips

so of course whatever H says that is incorrect will be picked up on.

In my opinion - if you want to be a major participant in a discussion at the very least you should have seen the material being discussed with your own eyes and heard with your own ears. Not drive a thread based on watching lots of clips.

It demonstrates very little respect for your fellow posters who want to discuss the actual content but instead have to spend their time patiently correcting you.

Why impose that on them?

he doesnt seem to think before he speaks

Any irony here at all?

Purely going off vibes, Gyles Brandreth always seems very credible to me

@Janiie theyre quoting Gyles Brandreth when he was on this morning, where he said it live:
"Gyles, you're closer than any of us to Royals, do you ever get a sense that they still do care for him deeply?" Andi asked.
"Of course they do, it's the King's son, he loves his son!" Gyles replied "I think they totally accept that he wanted to start a new life in California, that's fine. But they're thrilled by this [Invictus Games], this is the real achievement. The King is so proud of this, I know personally that the Duke of Edinburgh, the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, his grandfather thought: 'Yes, this is what it's all about. Fantastic.' This [Invictus Games] will go on forever."

@nonamesavailable123

Thank you so much for your lovely, lovely posts.

It is no secret on these threads that I am very fond of Harry (and Meghan). I was honoured to be one of the little kiddies waving flags when the Queen came to my Commonwealth country. I then had the privilege of seeing Diana when she visited my country. I now have friends from Lesotho who will go to war for Harry. He is very much loved there, and I am proud that he is his mother's son.

I am hoping to volunteer at the next Invictus Games. I am very proud that Nigeria is the first African team to join the Invictus family, and I am hoping to lobby my own government to send veterans. I am working with a group that is determined to have a bigger African presence at Invictus, especially because the conversations about the welfare of vets simply does not take place in some of our countries, and African wars are so often forgotten.

He's speculating like we all are! He's hardly likely to say the Royal family remain deeply hurt by his book and media antics in the past. Of course they're proud of the vets and IG.

They will never criticise him publicly, they aren't into mudslinging.

oh thats funny!!

Oh right. One must have viewed all 5 eps before commenting. We aren't allowed to comment on the many clips or reviews we've seen on TV. I see. The rules change every day. Bit like derailment it seems to depend on who the offender is.