Meghan Markle Reunites With Prince Harry After Week Apart, Receives Mixed Response to “Improvised” Invictus Games Speech

Last week, Harry boarded a plane in Los Angeles for a high-profile trip across the pond.

First, the Duke of Sussex stopped in London, where he attended the annual WellChild Awards.

Much was made of the fact that Harry did not linger to mark the one-year anniversary of the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, but he had a very good reason for his hasty departure.

Harry was due in Dusseldorf the following day for the opening ceremonies of the Invictus Games, the athletic competition for wounded veterans that he helped to found in 2014.

Much was also made of the fact that Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, was not by his side when he visited London, or when he traveled to Germany.

Meghan missed the Invictus opening ceremonies, but she joined Harry on Tuesday at a hotel party, where she addressed a crowd of hundreds of veterans.

“It is so special to be here, and I’m so sorry that I was a little late for the party,” the Duchess of Sussex told the audience.

“I’m really proud to be part of this Invictus family with all of you. I’m grateful for all of you that are here,” she continued.

“This is about family and friends and the community that Invictus has created … so I just had to spend a little bit more time at home getting our little ones settled, getting milkshakes, doing school drop off, and then I landed a couple of hours ago,” Meghan went on.

“We’ve received a few gifts from the Canadian team we got a bracelet and on that bracelets [sic] they put the initials of one of the people who wasn’t able to make it here tonight.”

For the most part, Meghan’s speech was well-received, but the duchess attracted some criticism for her remarks, as well.

Some felt that the duchess’ “off the cuff” speech was rambling and inarticulate at times.

Many said they wished Meghan had prepared some remarks for the occasion, and they complained of being confused by the bit about the bracelet from the Canadian team and the mystery guest who was unable to attend.

Others felt that by emphasizing her family duties, Meghan was making excuses for her absence.

“Poor Veterans subjected to the ‘Harry & Meghan Show’ This is now ALL ABOUT these 2 money grabbing pigs & their own PR & not the Heroes themselves,” one person tweeted in response to the speech.

“So whilst they pretend to still be in love & blow smoke up each others arses, the Invictus Games itself is sadly losing credibility.”

“Meghan says she’s so proud to be part of ‘the Invictus family’ as family is everything,” another chimed in.

“So when was the last time you saw your Dad, Meg’s? He’s never met your husband Harry nor his two grandchildren. And you destroyed Harry’s relationship with his own family.”

Obviously, that’s a ridiculous take for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that a person can appreciate the importance of family even if they’re not close with their own relatives.

On top of that, reasonable observers — even the ones who are highly critical of Meghan — can surely recognize that Harry’s marriage was not the sole factor in the decline of his relationship with his father and brother.

Whatever the case, Meghan’s heart was certainly in the right place when she praised the athletes and organizers who were involved in making this year’s games happen.

But the Sussexes could do everything right for the next decade, and they’d still never win the favor of their most dedicated fault-finders.

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