Meghan Markle told Prince Harry “no” as the Duchess of Sussex was caught off-guard by the Duke’s request.
Prince Harry playfully put his wife Meghan on the spot at the Invictus Games welcome celebration in Whistler,
suggesting she perform for the 1,000-strong crowd after Michael Bublé’s performance.
The Duke of Sussex brought his wife onto the stage during the Vancouver-Whistler event, where the couple had been enjoying beers together before the opening ceremony.
Dressed in a white full-length coat from Mackage and a beanie hat from Hat Attack, the Duchess found herself unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight by her husband’s impromptu suggestion.
Canadian singer Michael Bublé kicked off the celebrations by performing a riff of his hit song “Feeling Good” before introducing Harry to the audience.
“I know how difficult something like this is, so I wanted to make sure I did this right. Without the incredible effort of this young man, none of this would have happened, so please welcome my friend, Prince Harry,” Bublé said.
Harry responded with humour: “Well, thank God Michael Bublé sang. Can you imagine bringing him out here and him saying, ‘You know what? I didn’t come here to sing…’ Thank you for the introduction.”
After thanking the crowd for their support of the “incredible athletes,” Harry turned his attention to his wife.
“My wife and I—come on out here! Come on!” Harry called, before announcing to the cheering crowd: “Now she’s going to sing!”
Caught genuinely by surprise, the Duchess burst into laughter and immediately responded with a firm “No!”
She graciously addressed the enthusiastic crowd, saying: “Thank you, everybody. Have the best time!”
The playful moment continued backstage, where Meghan was captured in an Instagram video interacting with the Canadian singer.
“Are you going to sing?” Bublé asked the Duchess.
Meghan responded with laughter, exclaiming “No, I’m not singing!” before sharing a friendly hug with the performer.
Even as she exited the stage, the jovial atmosphere persisted, with a staff member echoing the question about her singing, only to receive the same laughing refusal.
The Sussexes braved temperatures of -11C at the luxury ski resort, where they are spending three days watching competitors in adaptive winter sports.
The opening ceremony concluded with a dramatic flyby of two Canadian Air Force F/18 fighter jets.
This marks the first time winter sports have been included in the Invictus Games, which Harry founded in 2014.