Prince Harry Gives Out a Soldier of the Year Award to a Friend He Made Through the Invictus Games

This week, Prince Harry gave an honor to a friend who is also one of the Invictus Games’s biggest success stories. In a video message, the prince appeared at the Military Times Service Members of the Year Awards, where he presented the prestigious Soldier of the Year title to Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks. Marks, a combat medic, was injured in Iraq in 2010 before eventually returning to active duty and becoming internationally recognized as a para swimmer.

In a video filmed in the Montecito home he shares with Meghan Markle, Harry donned his military medals to explain that he first connected with Marks because of the Games, which were founded in 2014 to support the rehabilitation of wounded service members. “I first met Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks at the Invictus Games in Orlando 2016, where I presented her with not one, but four gold medals that she’d won in swimming,” he said. “To me, she epitomizes the courage, resilience and determination represented across our service community. And this is not just because of her swimming abilities.”

After her success at the 2016 Games, Marks went on to be recognized for her skills in the pool at two Paralympic Games, where she netted five medals, and has now become the most decorated athlete in the history of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program.

Harry also told the story of Marks’ journey to sports after her battlefield injury. “Ellie has courageously overcome every obstacle to cross her path. She has turned her pain into purpose and led through compassion and willpower, showing others that the impossible is indeed possible,” Harry said. “Despite the injuries she endured during her deployment as a medical assistant in Iraq—along with numerous surgeries and setbacks that would have deterred many—she has persevered tirelessly, becoming the first woman in the Army’s world-class athlete program as well as the first swimmer the program had ever seen.”

This year marks 10 years since the Invictus Games Foundation was established, and to celebrate the milestone, the charity is holding a service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on May 8. Harry was reportedly considering making a trip across the pond to attend the event, but his participation has not been confirmed.

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