HARRY TELLS YOUNG TO BACK INVICTUS
Prince Harry has made an impassioned plea for the nation to support his paralympic-style sporting championships for injured servicemen and women.
Harry told a group of students who have become digital media champions for the Invictus Games that the event would be the "most amazing weekends of your lives".
He met more than 60 youngsters from six schools across east and central London during a visit to Bethnal Green Academy where they were being trained by Facebook in how to use social media to promote the sporting event being staged in the capital from September 10-14.
When he stopped in one classroom to join the students learning how to take pictures, he praised their enthusiasm and said: "We're very short on time, it's going to happen; what are we - a month and a half away from the actual Games.
"The more noise and the more enthusiasm you guys can get behind the Invictus Games, get your friends involved, buy some tickets, come down and scream and shout - I promise you, you will not regret it, it will be the most amazing weekend of your lives."
But when asked if he would post more tweets about the Games, Harry replied that he had an issue with the micro blogging site, and appeared to suggest it was used by others to invade his privacy.
The Prince, who was speaking at a certificate presentation ceremony to mark the completion of the students' social media training, said he had tweeted about the Games, adding: "It's very hard for me to tweet about the Invictus Games or tweet about something that means a lot to me whereas at the same time I really quite hate Twitter by the invasion of privacy - I think you all understand what I'm talking about.
"So I would love to tweet about things I care about, on a regular basis - if people wanted to hear about it, that would be good."
More than 400 wounded and sick servicemen and women from 14 nations - from countries like Canada, Iraq, Estonia and Italy - will take part in a variety of events from wheelchair rugby and athletics to power lifting during the Games being staged at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Lee Valley Athletics Centre.
As digital media champions, the students will have the opportunity to report from sporting sites on all the action and atmosphere.
