Prince Harry surprises moviegoers in Chula Vista when screening new Netflix doc ‘Heart of Invictus’ – NBC 7 San Diego

A select group of moviegoers got the royal treatment at AMC Chula Vista when the Duke of Sussex appeared in person to promote his new Netflix series, Heart of Invictus.

Prince Harry made an unexpected appearance at Monday’s last-minute screening of the five-episode limited series, which follows six people on trips to compete in the Invictus Games – an international event the duke founded for injured military service members and veterans. The show was hosted by the USO at the San Diego County Playhouse and the guests consisted of military service members and their families, veterans, and USO volunteers.

Grace Ann Skidmore, an author and military spouse who volunteers with the USO, has been invited to attend the special. When she and her friend, Bonnie Pham, arrived, they thought the security was tight but they didn’t guess it. After being seated, the announcers introduced the show’s executive producer – Prince Harry.

“We had no idea such a special guest existed,” Skidmore told NBC 7 in a written message. “There was a lot of cheering and we were very surprised to see Prince Harry come to spend his evening with us. He stayed for the whole show and took pictures afterwards with some of the guests.”

Skidmore and Pham were two of those lucky enough guests Have a photo moment with the royal. A smiling Prince Harry stands next to Skidmore as an excited fam takes a selfie of the three of them as the credits flash across the screen behind them.

Prince Harry Founded Invictus Games To help rehabilitate injured military service members through sporting events, such as the Paralympic Games. The international competition is held every two years and is scheduled to take place in September 2023.

Skidmore works closely with military service members and recently volunteered at the Marine Trials at Camp Pendletonan adaptive sporting event for veterans and active-duty military personnel similar to the Invictus Games, so I felt a special connection to Prince Harry’s efforts.

“It’s been an amazing experience to put together my memories of the Marine Corps trials, and to combine them with the strength, courage and drive shown in the Prince Harry documentary series.”

She hopes Heart of Invictus will help open the door to more conversations about adversity in the military.

The series debuted on Netflix on August 30.