London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jan 07, 2026

Harry shows off table tennis skills at Invictus Games

Harry shows off table tennis skills at Invictus Games

One of Harry’s opponents, Valentin Baus, said he thought the duke played tennis, as he could see a technique.

The Duke of Sussex has tried his hand at table tennis, showing off skills that led his opponents to believe he may have some tennis experience.

Harry joined three Dusseldorf-based Paralympic table tennis players at the Invictus Games in The Hague on Tuesday.

Thomas Schmidberger, 30, teamed up with Harry for doubles and said he would rate the duke’s performance as possibly a seven out of 10.

“I don’t think he plays very often but he’s a sportsman and sportsmen can do everything a little,” he said.

Harry joined three Dusseldorf-based Paralympic table tennis players at the Invictus Games


Mr Schmidberger, who plans to compete at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany, said he thought the other team won, joking: “I had a weak point in my team.”

One of Harry’s opponents, Valentin Baus, 26, said he thought the duke played tennis, as he could see a technique.

“You can see if somebody plays tennis, and plays in table tennis, you can see the technique – ah, this is a tennis guy,” he said.

Mr Baus said it was “a lot of fun”, adding: “It was easy. It was relaxed. It was good.”

Harry’s other opponent, Sandra Mikolaschek, 24, said she thought the duke was “very talented”.

She said: “He probably played tennis a lot earlier. But it was fun playing with him.

The Duke of Sussex hugs a competitor during the swimming


“Nice that he played with us. For us it’s not usual to play with someone like that so it was very fun.”

Ms Mikolaschek said Harry was using tennis techniques such as slicing.

“Like in tennis when you play short ball,” she said.

The next Invictus Games will take place in Dusseldorf in 2023.

Later, Harry travelled to the Invictus swimming venue, where he watched races and presented medals.

At one point he appeared to break into a brief dance while sitting by the pool, as catchy music played.

The Duke of Sussex speaks to a British competitor during the swimming at the Invictus Games


Team UK competitor Lisa Johnston, 39, who lives in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, was among those who received a medal from Harry.

Ms Johnston, who has a haul that includes four bronze medals and a gold, said it has been “overwhelming”.

She said: “It they could bottle the feeling that you feel right now there would be so much world peace it would be amazing.

“Honest to God it’s just – you can’t describe how you feel. You have to be in it to experience it.

“And you can’t experience it unless you go for it.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Béla Tarr, Visionary Hungarian Filmmaker, Dies at Seventy After Long Illness
UK and France Pledge Military Hubs Across Ukraine in Post-Ceasefire Security Plan
Prince Harry Poised to Regain UK Security Cover, Clearing Way for Family Visits
UK Junk Food Advertising Ban Faces Major Loophole Allowing Brand-Only Promotions
Maduro’s Arrest Without The Hague Tests International Law—and Trump’s Willingness to Break It
German Intelligence Secretly Intercepted Obama’s Air Force One Communications
The U.S. State Department’s account in Persian: “President Trump is a man of action. If you didn’t know it until now, now you do—do not play games with President Trump.”
Fake Mainstream Media Double Standard: Elon Musk Versus Mamdani
HSBC Leads 2026 Mortgage Rate Cuts as UK Lending Costs Ease
US Joint Chiefs Chairman Outlines How Operation Absolute Resolve Was Carried Out in Venezuela
Starmer Welcomes End of Maduro Era While Stressing International Law and UK Non-Involvement
Korean Beauty Turns Viral Skincare Into a Global Export Engine
UK Confirms Non-Involvement in U.S. Military Action Against Venezuela
UK Terror Watchdog Calls for Australian-Style Social Media Ban to Protect Teenagers
Iranian Protests Intensify as Another Revolutionary Guard Member Is Killed and Khamenei Blames the West
Delta Force Identified as Unit Behind U.S. Operation That Captured Venezuela’s President
Europe’s Luxury Sanctions Punish Russian Consumers While a Sanctions-Circumvention Industry Thrives
Berkshire’s Buffett-to-Abel Transition Tests Whether a One-Man Trust Model Can Survive as a System
Fraud in European Central Bank: Lagarde’s Hidden Pay Premium Exposes a Transparency Crisis at the European Central Bank
Trump Announces U.S. Large-Scale Strike on Venezuela, Declares President Maduro and Wife Captured
Tesla Loses EV Crown to China’s BYD After Annual Deliveries Decline in 2025
UK Manufacturing Growth Reaches 15-Month Peak as Output and Orders Improve in December
Beijing Threatened to Scrap UK–China Trade Talks After British Minister’s Taiwan Visit
Newly Released Files Reveal Tony Blair Pressured Officials Over Iraq Death Case Involving UK Soldiers
Top Stocks and Themes to Watch in 2026 as Markets Enter New Year with Fresh Momentum
No UK Curfew Ordered as Deepfake TikTok Falsely Attributes Decree to Prime Minister Starmer
Europe’s Largest Defence Groups Set to Return Nearly Five Billion Dollars to Shareholders in Twenty Twenty-Five
Abu Dhabi ‘Capital of Capital’: How Abu Dhabi Rose as a Sovereign Wealth Power
Diamonds Are Powering a New Quantum Revolution
Trump Threatens Strikes Against Iran if Nuclear Programme Is Restarted
Apple Escalates Legal Fight by Appealing £1.5 Billion UK Ruling Over App Store Fees
UK Debt Levels Sit Mid-Range Among Advanced Economies Despite Rising Pressures
UK Plans Royal Diplomacy with King Charles and Prince William to Reinvigorate Trade Talks with US
King Charles and Prince William Poised for Separate 2026 US Visits to Reinforce UK-US Trade and Diplomatic Ties
Apple Moves to Appeal UK Ruling Ordering £1.5 Billion in Customer Overcharge Damages
King Charles’s 2025 Christmas Message Tops UK Television Ratings on Christmas Day
The Battle Over the Internet Explodes: The United States Bars European Officials and Ignites a Diplomatic Crisis
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Join Royal Family at Sandringham Christmas Service
Fine Wine Investors Find Little Cheer in Third Year of Falls
UK Mortgage Rates Edge Lower as Bank of England Base Rate Cut Filters Through Lending Market
U.S. Supermarket Gives Customers Free Groceries for Christmas After Computer Glitch
Air India ‘Finds’ a Plane That Vanished 13 Years Ago
Caviar and Foie Gras? China Is Becoming a Luxury Food Powerhouse
Hong Kong Climbs to Second Globally in 2025 Tourism Rankings Behind Bangkok
From Sunniest Year on Record to Terror Plots and Sports Triumphs: The UK’s Defining Stories of 2025
Greta Thunberg Released on Bail After Arrest at London Pro-Palestinian Demonstration
Banksy Unveils New Winter Mural in London Amid Festive Season Excitement
UK Households Face Rising Financial Strain as Tax Increases Bite and Growth Loses Momentum
UK Government Approves Universal Studios Theme Park in Bedford Poised to Rival Disneyland Paris
UK Gambling Shares Slide as Traders Respond to Steep Tax Rises and Sector Uncertainty
×