Prince Harry returned to Canada this week — and he made sure everyone knew just how special the country is to him.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, traveled to Toronto for events tied to Remembrance Day and to support the True Patriot Love Foundation, an organization that assists Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans and their families. On Thursday, Nov. 6, he attended the foundation’s 17th annual National Tribute Dinner — and got sentimental, funny and charming all at once.
Standing before the crowd, Harry reminded everyone that Toronto isn’t just another city in his royal history — it’s where his love story began.
“Truthfully and jokes aside, this city will always mean a great deal to me,” he said. “You provided a wife for me and you hosted the Invictus Games in 2017 — touchstones in my life both professionally and personally.”
The crowd laughed as he nodded to Meghan Markle’s years living in Toronto while filming Suits. “She lived here for years and has such affection for this city that many people around the world are convinced she’s Canadian,” he joked.
And then — yes — he addressed that moment: the now-famous “hatgate.”
Just last week, Harry caught flak for wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers cap at a World Series game — instead of showing love for Canadian baseball.
“Before I begin, I think it’s important we address the blue-hatted elephant in the room once more,” he said.
“I am truly sorry for wearing a Dodgers hat. Our host that night owned the Dodgers — and I also needed something to cover the floodlights shining down on my ever-increasing bald spot,” he joked.
“But even with that pressure…I still couldn’t bring myself to wear a Yankees hat.”
The dinner celebrated the True Patriot Love Foundation’s ongoing support for service members, something Harry said Canada has always shown “like no other nation.”
Harry also praised Canada for hosting the Invictus Games not once — but twice — first in Toronto in 2017 and again this year in Vancouver and Whistler, becoming the only country to do so. “On behalf of the Invictus Games Foundation… we are profoundly grateful,” he said.
He also highlighted the important role Indigenous communities played in this year’s Games, calling their involvement “profound” and central to reconciliation efforts.
Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014, inspired by wounded and recovering veterans competing in adaptive sports — and it remains one of his most personal and meaningful causes.
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