Prince Harry feels "grateful" to call veterans his friends.
Prince Harry
The 31-year-old royal set up the Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style event for wounded soldiers, and praised the competitors as excellent ambassadors for the UK, saying he feels lucky to be in their lives.
He said: "You forget that some of these individuals have been stuck at home on their sofa suffering from major anxiety, not even daring themselves to leave the house. So to see someone who's been in a worse place than them running around, whether it's the 100m or whatever, they think, 'I dare myself to leave the house.' That's how it started. I never realised that these guys are the most unbelievable ambassadors for sport and for the military and for this country, but they can go on and inspire every generation possible.
"So I'm just grateful to call them all my mates and be lucky enough to be in a position where we can put on a platform like this and change their lives."
Harry also praised the power of sport in helping the injured servicemen and women with their rehabilitation.
At a star-studded ceremony to celebrate achievements in the Sports Industry at Battersea Evolution in London on Thursday (28.04.16), he said: "Everybody here knows the power of sport and what it can achieve for anyone, especially those with physical or mental injuries. What we've done for these guys is provide a platform for rehabilitation, whether that's physical or mental.
"They're not forced into doing anything, it's their own choice. It's about being part of a team again. For some of these guys, just to be able to wear a Union Jack on their left breast and to wear a uniform which is the same as all their other comrades is a huge, huge thing."
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