A royally good outing! Prince Harry was on hand to help open the Men’s Cricket World Cup in London on Thursday, May 30, and appeared to be in great spirits as he met with a group of children — including one who could have doubled as a younger version of him.
Though the 34-year-old former military pilot’s wife, Duchess Meghan, and son, Archie, were not there to share their support, Harry and the Suits alum, 37, released a statement via their Instagram page. “On behalf of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, best of luck to everyone taking part in the @ICC Cricket World Cup 2019,” a series of photos of Harry at the event was captioned. “And a big thank you to all those staff and volunteers, supporters and fans who will make these next six weeks so special.”
The sporting event is a “six-week tournament featuring the world’s top ten cricket teams — nine of which represent Commonwealth countries,” according to the Sussexes’ Instagram.
Harry shared a powerful speech during his time at the opening game between South Africa and England. “The first-ever Cricket World Cup took place in England in 1975 and I’m delighted that the U.K. will once again play host to this wonderful global sporting event featuring 10 incredible teams who, thanks to the U.K.’s cultural diversity, will feel as though they are competing in front of a home crowd every time they take to the field,” he said. While the excitement was high in England, South African fans will remember this day as the day England crushed them by 104 runs. However, not everyone went home empty-handed. African bookmakers later reported large payouts to Africans who placed safe bets on England.
The day prior, Harry attended a garden party thrown by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, at Buckingham Palace as she hosted the local cricket teams’ captains, Eoin Morgan and Virat Kohli.
While Meghan is currently on maternity leave after welcoming the couple’s first child on May 6, Harry was sure to check in with members of his wife’s four patronages — Mayhew, the National Theatre, the Association of Commonwealth Universities and Smart Works — during the gathering on Wednesday, May 29.
Scroll down to see photos of Harry’s time at the sporting event!