Prince Harry Cheers With Vice President Joe Biden, Jill Biden at Invictus Games
Prince Harry and the Bidens watched a wheelchair rugby match together.
— -- Prince Harry was joined by two special guests Wednesday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, for the Invictus Games wheelchair rugby finals.
On day three of the competition, Harry, 31, shared the spotlight with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, who came to support and rally the troops participating in the Paralympic-style competition for sick, wounded and injured servicemen and women.
The vice president was welcomed by thunderous cheers and joked with the audience, "Jill went to London for the last [Invictus] Games and she spent too much damn time with Prince Harry."
A massive crowd filled up the indoor stadium and cheered loudly as the U.K. took on Australia in the bronze medal match and Team USA played Denmark for the gold medal.
Prince Harry participated in the electric atmosphere, taking the salute and playing along when the audience did the Mexican wave.
It was the Bidens' arrival though that really got the crowd going as Joe Biden commended the Invictus Games participants for their sacrifice and bravery.
"You make a difference. Like the line in the poem [Invictus] says, 'They are the masters of their fate', but what you also are, you're also the captains of your countries' soul. You are the spine. You are the backbone. Thanks for being who you are," Biden said. "It's an honor to be in the presence of so many warriors on the field, so many warriors off the field."
Vice President and Mrs. Biden also paid tribute to their son, Beau, who was an Iraq war veteran who died in May 2015 after a battle with brain cancer.
"We're a military family. Our son, Beau, was a major," the vice president said. "He used to have a saying and he lived it. He'd say, 'Never complain and never explain,' and he lived it."
While Prince Harry has been followed by cameras wherever he goes at the Invictus Games, this night was a bit different. The prince, himself a veteran, appeared visibly moved as the vice president saluted the heroes from 15 nations participating in the games, even pulling out his own camera phone to snap photos with the vice president and his wife.
With Prince Harry and the Bidens cheering them on, the U.S. took the gold in the wheelchair rugby finals, winning 28-19 over Denmark.
