Blushing Prince Harry Receives Birthday Serenade From Invictus Crowd—Video

Prince Harry's 39th birthday was celebrated by the Invictus Games community on Friday, with the crowd gathered to watch the sitting volleyball finals welcoming the royal with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday."

Harry is in Germany with his wife Meghan Markle attending the sixth Invictus Games, in the city of Düsseldorf.

The prince co-founded the tournament in 2014 to provide injured, sick and wounded veterans with an international platform to challenge and celebrate their mental and physical recoveries.

Harry's interest in veterans' welfare and mental health was developed once he left the armed forces in 2015. The prince served two tours of Afghanistan in 2008 and 2012.

Harry arrived in Düsseldorf on September 8 for the Invictus Games, following a brief stopover in Britain to attend a charity event and mark the first anniversary of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II's, death, en route from his home in California.

On Friday, Harry and Meghan attended the cycling event where the duchess presented medals to the men's champions and then made their way in to the Merkur Spiel-Arena for the sitting volleyball finals.

Daily Telegraph journalist Victoria Ward, who was in the arena, captured video footage of the moment Harry was welcomed with birthday celebrations.

Posting to X (formerly known as Twitter), Ward wrote: "Prince Harry—39 today—is serenaded with a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday at the Invictus Games 🎂."

The blushing prince was seen turning to Meghan with an embarrassed smile as he took his seat and offered a wave of thanks to the crowd.

Harry's warm reception from the Invictus community comes as he has not received any public recognition of his birthday from the royal family's social media accounts.

Relationships between the California-based Harry and Meghan and the British royals are reportedly still strained following the release of the Sussexes' bombshell Netflix docuseries last December and Harry's record breaking memoir in January.

In his memoir, the prince took aim at his family with a number of allegations and revelations, many of which were directed at his brother, Prince William, and stepmother, Queen Camilla.

Harry's birthday has not been acknowledged by the official royal family social media account since 2021.

In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II enacted a new policy which saw only working members of the royal family receive birthday acknowledgements on the official social media accounts. King Charles III has kept the policy in place since his accession.

Harry's 38th birthday passed without public-facing celebration. The date fell in the official court mourning period between Queen Elizabeth II's death on September 8, 2022 and her state funeral on September 19.

Harry and Meghan are both expected to attend the Invictus Games closing ceremony on September 16 in Düsseldorf, where in past years both royals have taken to the stage to make speeches.

This year's closing ceremony will include performances from pop star Rita Ora and British Eurovision star Sam Ryder.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.