Grinning Prince Harry poses with volunteers at the start of the Invictus Games in Germany a day after he paid respects to the late Queen

Prince Harry was photographed for the first time at the Invictus Games in Germany.

The estranged royal, who founded the sporting event for wounded service members, posed for a photo with volunteers just a day after attending a private memorial for his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

The Duke of Sussex, who went on the whirlwind solo trip to Britain without his wife and children, was spotted leaving St George’s Chapel in Windsor around lunchtime yesterday.

The fifth in line to the throne was photographed paying his respects to the Queen by a tourist during a shocking secret visit to the church where the late monarch was laid to rest.

He then flew to Dusseldorf in Germany last night for the opening ceremony of his Invictus Games.

Prince Harry left St George’s Chapel in Windsor yesterday afternoon to mark the first anniversary of the Queen’s death. Her Majesty is buried there next to her husband Prince Philip

The Duke is booked into a £2,000 one-night suite with stunning views over the Rhine and will be joined by his wife Meghan at the luxury residence later next week.

The spacious suite on the 17th floor of the Hyatt Regency hotel in Düsseldorf will be their base for the next eight days.

Tonight he will launch the sporting event for injured and disabled military veterans and attend the week-long event, stopping by to cheer on competitors in events such as archery, swimming and wheelchair rugby.

More than 500 participants from 21 countries take part in the games sponsored by the American company Boeing.

Organizers predict that up to 100,000 people will attend the games, which will conclude with a speech from Prince Harry and a six-song set from singer Rita Ora.

Teams from all over the world all arrived in Dusseldorf and were met at the airport by the Games’ mascot, a brown bear named Buddy.

The British team, friends and family flew from Birmingham on an RAF transport plane. Among the 59 members, 15 are still serving in the military, while the others are retired.

Prince Harry arrives at the five-star Hyatt Regency hotel in Dusseldorf yesterday before launching the 2023 Invictus Games today

The captain of the British team, Lieutenant Commander James Rogers, said: “Whether we are veterans or still serving, we are one team heading into the Games and I am immensely proud of how much everyone has achieved in this process . It has brought with it a sense of camaraderie and excitement, as well as noticeable physical and mental health benefits.”

Wearing a white shirt and smart trousers, Harry looked somber yesterday as he left a side entrance to St. George’s Chapel as family, Britain and the world mourned the Queen’s death again. It is not known whether he went to Her Majesty’s grave in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, which is within the walls of the church.

Harry was seen by members of the public at around midday as he left the church where his grandparents are both buried. An executive Range Rover was waiting for him while his bodyguard waited to open the door.

A number of members of the royal family are said to have visited the chapel yesterday. Harry remains close to his cousins ​​Beatrice and Eugenie, but it is not yet known whether they and others paid their respects together. MailOnline has asked Buckingham Palace and a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex for comment.

The warring brothers are spending the first anniversary of their grandmother’s death in the same country but still couldn’t be further apart and didn’t meet before Harry left for Germany last night.

The Duke of Sussex was at his best in London on Thursday as he met the winners of the WellChild Awards – a charity he has been a patron of for 15 years and where he remained after his acrimonious departure from the royal family.

Harry flew from his home in California for the engagement, making his first appearance in Britain since June.

But despite the long flight, the Duke cut a relaxed figure as he sat with the young people and their families at a pre-ceremony reception at The Hurlingham Club in south-west London.

As Harry prepared for the awards ceremony this time last year, news began to sink in that his grandmother was seriously ill before passing away hours later. The Duke flew to Scotland but landed too late to see the Queen before she died.

“As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year because my grandmother passed away,” he told the audience.

“As you probably also know, she would have been the first to insist that I still join all of you instead of going to her. And that’s exactly why I know that, exactly one year later, she’ll be looking down on all of us tonight, happy that together we continue to shine a spotlight on such an incredible community.”