Gabriel George of Team USA competes in archery on day two of the Invictus Games The Hague at Zuiderpark in the Netherlands. George was serving in the Navy when a 2008 motorcycle accident left his right arm paralyzed. (He underwent an amputation in 2020.) He took up archery just four years ago, using his teeth to hold the arrows.
“His mind completely went to my pain, and you could feel him trying to figure out if there was something he could do,” George tells PEOPLE about his conversation with Prince Harry at the Games. Then, in the kind of dark humor shared by so many veterans — including Prince Harry, a former captain in the British Army — the two enjoyed a memorable exchange. “He said, ‘I heard you scuba dive,’ ” says George. “And I said, ‘Yeah.’ He was like, ‘The shark could bite off your other arm—then what are you gonna do?’ And I said, ‘I got feet!’ ”
Joshua Smith of Team USA spins during the men’s IT7 1500m final on April 17. He won gold.
“I’m just so appreciative,” he tells PEOPLE. Smith, the Team USA cocaptain who first met Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, at the 2018 Australia Games, shared time with them again in the Netherlands. “The Duke came over to me, shook my hand, gave me five. He said, ‘It’s great to see you again, Josh. Thanks for being here.’ That’s something that’s really special coming from the creator of the Games.”
