Prince Harry admits one thing that ‘held’ him together: ‘I wouldn’t have stayed in school’

Prince Harry has finally issued a rare admission, one that has tugged at fans on an emotional level, and it comes in celebration of his indictment into the #TIME100Sports list.

The news was even shared on The Invictus Games’ official Instagram page.

He shared his personal feelings, love for sports and childhood rather candidly in the interview alongside Sean Gregory.

During it he weighed in on his own turn in the military, specifically his 2013 combat tour of Afghanistan, which was the point where he lit the cauldron for another event called The Warrior Games, sparking his idea for Invictus.

When reminiscing over the point where it clicked and the idea was birthed, Harry said “I thought, ‘Wow, look at the power of sport, look at how it is literally changing lives in front of my very eyes’. It was so clear to me. Let's invite as many countries as possible to make it international, because clearly more countries need to benefit from this.”

For those unversed, according to TIME, the games were inaugurated in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. (Invictus, a Latin word, means “unconquered.”) with over 13 nations participating, and over 400 personnel in total.

As for his own motivation, and why he thinks the Invictus Games serve the community the way that it does, the Duke said “when you are wearing your nation's flag on your arm, on your chest, once that's removed, there's something that's missing. What we've managed to achieve through Invictus over the years is not only to give people their purpose and their meaning back, but give them their identity back.”

He didn’t end there either, instead he chimed in with a bit of a personal story, one that relates to his own royal childhood.

During the chat he said, “sport held me together. I was one of those kids at school who did not enjoy classroom work. If it wasn't for the sports field, and the amount of sports that were on offer, there's no way I would have stayed in school.”

Before concluding he also shared some hopes for the Games’ future and admitted that he wants them becoming a two-week event not just one, because “one thing that we really celebrate at Invictus is not only do we change lives, but we save lives as well. That's not based on anything other than the amount of individuals that come up to me and say, ‘If it wasn't for Invictus, I would have killed myself’.”

The Instagram announcement reads, “What began as a belief in the power of sport has grown into a global movement, one that not only supports recovery, but creates community, belonging and hope. It proves every day that sport can restore meaning and, for some, be truly life‑saving.”

“We are proud of this recognition, but most importantly, we are proud of the Invictus Community, whose resilience and determination inspire everything we do. Link in bio for the full story.”