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PPrince Harry’ s Royal Rally by PM STAFF
Prince Harry has officially joined the pickleball craze— and he did it in front of a crowd of wounded and injured military veterans.
The Duke of Sussex picked up a paddle on July 10 in Birmingham, England, taking part in a pickleball
exhibition at the National Exhibition Centre as he marked one year until the 2027 Invictus Games. Pickleball will make its official debut at next summer’ s Games, which Harry founded in 2014 for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans.
Harry wasn’ t simply there to watch. He got on the court and played, adding a surprisingly modern pop-culture moment to an event built around adaptive sport and military service member recovery. And that may be the bigger story. Pickleball has spent the past few years evolving from a backyard pastime into something of a celebrity lifestyle accessory. Actors, athletes, reality stars and entertainment executives have embraced the sport, turning courts into places to socialize, compete and, increasingly, be seen. Now there’ s a royal connection. Harry’ s Birmingham appearance also puts pickleball in a very different cultural setting. The Invictus Games are not about celebrity competition; they are designed to give wounded, injured and sick service members and veterans a platform to demonstrate
what they can do through sport. Adding pickleball to the program shows just how far the once-niche game has traveled.
For Harry, the paddle was part of a larger day of demonstrations. He participated in wheelchair rugby and other activities while
THE DUKE OF SUSSEX GETS INTO THE PICKLEBALL ACTION AT THE NATIONAL EXHIBITION CENTRE IN BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND. meeting competitors and helping to promote next year’ s Games.
Still, it was the pickleball footage that offered the most unexpected crossover: a British prince playing an American-born sport, helping to usher pickleball into one of the world’ s most prominent adaptive sporting events.
The royal family has plenty of traditions.
Apparently, pickleball is becoming one of Harry’ s new ones. •
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