Royals| Prince Harry lost for words at third Invictus Games

Prince Harry has had a constant presence on the news channels this week as he kicked things off for the third Invictus Games. 

But this year’s games, which are being held in Orlando, Florida, have left the prince with a whole new appreciation for the men and women of the military.

The prince was stuck for words when presenting one particular gold medal to a U.S sergeant, who won four gold medals for her swimming at the games this year.

Photo by Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock

Elizabeth Marks, pictured here, carries a leg injury from serving in Iraq for the U.S Army.

She handed one of her medals back to the prince once he had placed it carefully around her neck.

The moment was caught on camera, with the prince appearing speechless, asking the 25-year-old if she was certain.

Sgt Marks later explained how she wanted the British doctors who saved her life when she was about to compete in the 2014 Invictus Games to have the medal. On the eve of the inaugural games in London, the soldier’s lungs collapsed and she was put on life support.

“I landed in London and became very ill, very rapidly. I was in hospital in London and went into respiratory distress syndrome,” she explained.

“They shipped a team down from Papworth who put me on to ECMO [Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation] life support and that ultimately saved my life. I was on it for 10 days and ended up waking in an army hospital in Germany having no idea what had happened.”

“I can’t thank the UK enough for having that kind of medical support and taking such good care of me,” she added, saying she hopes the gold medal will find it’s way back to the doctors credited with saving her life in Papworth, Cambridge.

Photo by REX/Shutterstock

In its third year, the Invictus Games have gone from strength to strength with the backing of HM The Queen, Michelle Obama and U.S Vice President Dr Joe Biden.

The international paralympic-style sporting event involves military men and women from around the world who have been injured serving their country.