'There Are No Words' (Exclusive): Invic...

Prince Harry'sInvictus Games is more than just a sporting event for its competitors

Published Time: 23.07.2024 - 17:31:05 Modified Time: 23.07.2024 - 17:31:05

Prince Harry'sInvictus Games is more than just a sporting event for its competitors.

It was announced on Tuesday, July 23, that the Games will be returning to the U.K. in Birmingham for 2027, and speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at a flag-raising ceremony at the NEC in the city, former RAF sergeant Michelle Turner tells PEOPLE just how big of an impact Harry, 39, and the competition has had on her.

Turner, 45, who suffers from a heart condition that can cause her to collapse without warning, read a poem with her husband John and daughter Maya, 11, at a Thanksgiving service for the 10-year anniversary of the games at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London earlier this year. She recalls how Harry "came over afterwards and said he 'thought that was a first — to get a standing ovation of 2000 people in St. Paul’s Cathedral.' What an honor and responsibility it was to put our journey into words. The people in the audience knew what every word poem meant that we created.”

With a tearful choke in her voice, she says she owes the prince so much. “How do you ever thank somebody for changing your life, changing your family’s life? There are no words," Turner, who competed at the Games in Toronto in 2017 and Sydney in 2018, tells PEOPLE. "All I see here is smiles. It is giving people a focus again. He is so relatable and so lovely to everybody and he loves this Invictus Games.”

She adds that Birmingham will be rocking with excitement at the event. “You struggle to explain the magic but people will be able to come along and see it for themselves and feel that magic and inspiration. We will fill the stands," she says.

The Games being held in Birmingham marks something of a homecoming for the contest, which kicked off 10 years ago in London in 2014.

And it’s a significant place for it to be held. Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which is a gateway for many wounded servicemen and women following conflict, is nearby and there is also a Fisher House home for relatives of those recuperating in the hospital.

The outgoing CEO of the Invictus Games Foundation, Dominic Reid, tells PEOPLE, “Birmingham was the route home for so many of the British servicemen and women. Here you also have a single site where families can easily be housed in hotels and the competition can take place in the arenas. It is in these spaces that the magic happens.”

He adds of the Invictus journey: “This started as a one-off idea. That was what it was about. We thought we would pack it all up after London and not do it again because it wasn’t needed, because the problem had been fixed. That clearly is not the case.”

He recalls sitting around a table in Toronto in 2017 with the Duke of Sussex and a couple of others as they decided "to keep this going." He adds, "Harry has a real drive and ambition to do right by the wounded, injured an -

Juliette Lewis Transforms Into a Hardene,...

d sick community not just in the U.K. but globally and that’s being expressed in the best possible way it can. There is an enormous requirement. Just look at the state the world’s in and the number of injuries that happening on a daily basis. There are people who require this. This community is magical and can only be a force for good in the world.”

Josh Boggi, a former British soldier who lost both his legs and, later, his right arm after injuries incurred when he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan in 2010, tells PEOPLE, “Many, like me started our recovery journeys here in Birmingham and the Games coming here is poignant.” Boggi, who spent an initial six weeks at the hospital, adds, “They saved my life and started me on my recovery journey."

Birmingham beat the other shortlisted venue, Washington, D.C..

Stephen "Hoops" Hooper, from Plymouth, England is one of those veterans who underline how the Invictus Games are still needed, as he only recently found strength to come forward to take part. He is now the Team U.K. captain for the Games in Vancouver Whistler next year. Hooper developed PTSD and moral injury syndrome after serving as a battlefield ambulance driver in Iraq from 2006-2007.

Hooper is the epitome of why the Games are still needed more than a decade on from the inaugural contests. “There are so many people who have been scared to speak up about their injuries and feel they’re not worthy and have that imposter syndrome. But this highlights that you can go forward and get better," he tells PEOPLE.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

“There are so many people who are inspired by every competitor," he continues. "There are people who applied this year who saw me last year. Everyone has someone in the line after them and they then get the recovery they need. This is something that isn’t going to die off anytime soon.”

“When I first went to the camp before the Dusseldorf, Germany games in 2023, I couldn’t look at anybody and stood in a corner on my own. Now, not even two years later, I’m captain of Team U.K., coaching football and now doing this.” After taking part in two sports in Germany, he is set to enter in four different categories in Vancouver Whistler.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

He adds, “If Prince Harry hadn’t started this my life wouldn’t have changed in such a positive way. I can remember as we were doing the closing ceremony and as I left the stage I looked over at him and mouthed ‘Thank you’ to him. He looked so proud — you could see his head and shoulders up and his chest out.”