Harry attends first public engagement since UK return

The Duke of Sussex has been seen for the first time in public since returning to the UK when he arrived at the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards in London.

He attended the ceremony on Thursday at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, southeast London, cheerily waving to fans as he arrived.

Dressed in black tie and wearing his military medals, Harry posed for photographs in front of the press and then for selfies with wounded veterans.

At a champagne reception in an adjoining courtyard, He told guests he was "incredibly excited" to meet the winners and nominees after being part of the judging panel, alongside the Duchess of Sussex, for the awards.

The ceremony aims to honour the remarkable feats of extraordinary people and organisations at the heart of the global Invictus community.

On spotting former England rugby union star James Haskell, Harry walked over and gave him a bear hug telling him "Great to see you again".

The pair posed for pictures at a specially erected photo booth before the duke was taken into the awards.

The evening will recognise those who have beaten the odds, supported others in their recovery, advanced sport and rehabilitation, or made an outstanding contribution to the wider Invictus Community.

The award categories recognise resilience, community, commitment to international sports recovery and philanthropic support.

In January 2020, Harry and Meghan had announced they intended to step back as "senior" members of the royal family, become financially independent, still support Queen Elizabeth II, but split their time between the UK and North America.

But the late Queen ruled at the Sandringham Summit, which was convened to resolve the Megxit crisis, that the couple could not be half in and half out – and the King recently said the agreement still stands.