Prince Harry was pictured chatting to the general in charge of army training on Monday, sending ringside to watch U.S. veterans competing at the Warrior Games.
The 38-year-old traveled to San Diego for his first public appearance since his phone hacking trial in the UK.
The Duke of Sussex was seen grinning and chatting as he cheered on servicemen and women competing in events similar to his own Invictus Games.
He was seen at one point gesturing across the arena as General Gary Britto, the Commanding General of the army training and Doctrine command, looked on. The Royal also spoke animatedly to families, volunteers, and staff, and was obviously cracking jokes to those sitting around him at the event in Southern California.
Harry was pictured in deep discussion with Master Sergeant Michael Haley, one of 40 injured veterans and active-duty service members selected to represent Team Army. Later, he looked relaxed as he posed with veteran gold medal winners from the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM). Teams from the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and SOCOM have been competing in sports including archery, cycling, golf, swimming, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair rugby.
It's the first time Harry has been seen in public since he returned from London, where he gave evidence at the high court in his phone hacking trial against MGN. He was the first Royal to testify in court for more than a century and returned to Montecito on Friday.
Harry's own Invictus Games, which he set up in 2014, takes place in Dusseldorf this year in September. The event provides an opportunity for those who have suffered illness or injury during or as a result of their service to compete in a sporting event against other nations. But earlier this year, the charity event's organizers were urged to distance themselves from Prince Harry after his insensitive Taliban revelations.
Renowned publicist Lynn Franks said the Duke of Sussex's decision to share that he killed 25 soldiers while serving in Afghanistan made him look like a complete idiot. Harry's claims, including that he regarded Taliban fighters as chess pieces during operations, prompted anger from the Armed Force Community, who accused the Duke of bad etiquette.
Ben McBean, the former Royal Marine and friend of the prince, said such comments were unwise. Others said Harry had put people at risk. His appearance in San Diego came as the Department of Homeland Security has until today to respond to a legal claim to make Harry's U.S. visa paperwork public because it may show that he lied about his drug use.
The claims were aired at the U.S District Court in Washington last week, three thousand miles away from the High Court of London where he gave evidence hours earlier in the trial he has brought against the Daily Mirror's publisher. The case relates to the Duke of Sussex's U.S. visa application in March of 2020, which could show he checked the 'no' box on questions about his drug use.
Harry has admitted to using cocaine, marijuana, and hallucinogens in his best-selling memoir, "Spare," and his Netflix TV series. If Harry is found to have lied on his visa forms, he could be removed from the U.S. immediately. The allegations were made by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, which is seeking the release of the documents from the Department of Homeland Security under America's Freedom of Information law.
Samuel Dewey, the lead lawyer for the Heritage Foundation, said the case could take months. The next stage would be arguing whether or not the documents themselves should be released."
