Nothing could stop one athlete from attending the Invictus Games — and getting a handshake from Prince Harry.
At the Wheelchair Basketball competition on Thursday, special accommodations were made for former Marine Jelle van Der Steen of the Netherlands to support his teammates. Despite having surgery last week, van der Steen attended the event in a hospital bed.
Prince Harry, 37, was clearly moved by the effort, grasping van Der Steen's hand and smiling as they chatted.
Royal photographer Chris Jackson shared photos of the moment on Instagram, writing: "Sorry for not posting much recently but it's been hectic - I LOVED this moment 💪🏻 - summed up the @invictusgames2020 spirit - Jelle van der Steen of Team Netherlands🇳🇱 was operated on last week but he wanted to come out and show his support for his fellow teammates."
RELATED: The Prince Harry Interview — On Meghan, Fatherhood and How the Invictus Games Changed His Life
van der Steen previously met Prince Harry over video call last month, when the Duke of Sussex practiced his Dutch with the athletes to get ready to host this year's Invictus Games in their home country.
Prince Harry also got his wardrobe ready, showing off a head-to-toe orange outfit on the call to give a nod to the Netherlands' national color.
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Prince Harry opened up about the transformative power of the Invictus Games — and his own journey along the way — in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE.
"Life is full of extraordinary gifts and challenges, many that can be seen as lessons," he says in this week's cover story. "Over time I've learned that how we mentally approach and react to the ups and downs — those gifts and challenges — is what helps to define our own outcome."
Since Prince Harry started the Invictus Games in 2014, he has become both a husband and a father of two (son Archie, who turns 3 on May 6, and daughter Lilibet, 10 months).
"The Invictus community has very much been a major part of my growth and learning," he says. "Creating the Games involved listening to military and veteran families — and hearing directly from them about their lives — and that offered so much perspective. It's been a lesson in serving a purpose greater than ourselves, and the benefit that comes from that extends to both the individual and community. I truly believe we are at our best when we're in service to others, and Invictus is all about upholding that value."
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Many Invictus Games athletes have said that they would no longer be here if it wasn't for the competition.
"Every time I hear that it goes straight to my core. I really feel it," Harry tells PEOPLE. "I feel it with every hug I get from the competitors themselves or their family members. I feel it when they share with me what it means to see their husband, father, wife or mother simply smile again. Sport is the mechanism. Purpose is the potion. Mindset is the medicine."
He adds, "Many of these families have been to the darkest places imaginable. While each story is different and unique, the lessons are more relatable to all of us than they might seem. I am proud to watch their recoveries, but even prouder of their service to others. I believe their presence and resilience is quite literally saving more lives than we'll ever know or hear about."