Latest news with #ILL-Abilities
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nelly Furtado meets Meghan Markle, Prince Harry at Invictus Games in Vancouver: 'They're beautiful, that's for sure'
Nelly Furtado is linking up with a couple of "gems" on Canada's west coast. The "I'm Like a Bird" singer, 46, performed at the Invictus Games on Saturday afternoon in Vancouver during a star-studded ceremony that saw other celebrities like Katy Perry and Noah Kahan also take the stage. Before her show at BC Place, Furtado — who is from Victoria, B.C. — also ran into the Duke and Duchess of Sussex backstage. The Canadian singer shared a clip on social media of herself smiling at the camera and posing with Meghan Markle. Then, Prince Harry walked behind them while jokingly glaring at the screen, which made Furtado burst with excitement. "They're beautiful, that's for sure," the "Maneater" singer captioned her post, along with a pink heart emoji. She also posted a follow-up carousel on Instagram, featuring photos and videos of herself at the event. That post showed stunning photos of Furtado wearing a sultry all-black outfit, content of some competitors and another clip where she's posing for pictures with the royal couple. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nelly Furtado (@nellyfurtado) "I had so much fun putting together this performance for the Invictus Games opening ceremony," Furtado wrote in her post, while also thanking breakdance crew ILL-Abilities and Indigenous artist Mattmac for their inspiration. "Blessings to all of the competitors. Thanks for sharing your light with us all." In the comments sections of both social media posts, people expressed how much they loved Furtado's performance. Others were happy to see the Duchess of Sussex, who lived in Toronto while filming Suits, meet the "Say It Right" singer. "Your performance made me cry. All the songs brought me back to being a teen getting ready for school. And seeing your co-performers and their talent made the tears fall faster," one person wrote. "OMG. Nelly and Meghan... The duo I never knew I needed," someone shared on TikTok. "Oh, this is Canadian contenttt," another raved. "Three icons in one video," someone penned. "This looks amazing. And for such a good cause," an Instagram user added. During her Feb. 9 performance, Furtado started on-stage in front of a picture of a moon with her name written out in large letters. She kicked off her set with "Spirit Indestructible" before singing hit songs "I'm Like a Bird" and "Turn Off the Light." Furtado also had dancers from ILL-Abilities, an international dance crew with performers from around the world, take the stage. She also performed "Powerless (Say What You Want)" alongside Mattmac, a blind recording artist who hails from Garden Hill, Man. This year's Invictus Games started on Feb. 8 and run until Feb. 16. The international sport event was first held in 2014 for wounded, injured and sick military service personnel, both serving and veterans. The games were founded by Prince Harry and were last held in Canada in 2017 in Toronto. The event is being held in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., this year, featuring up to 550 competitors from more than 20 countries. Many of the competitions will be held in facilities used during the 2010 Olympics, and this year's games will have 11 adaptive sports, including alpine skiing, skeleton and wheelchair curling as new additions.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Harry and Meghan cheer from stands at Invictus Games in Canada
The Duke of Sussex called on competitors to overcome a "moment of difficulty and division in many parts of the world" as he opened the latest edition of the Invictus Games in Canada. Prince Harry was speaking at the opening ceremony in Vancouver with his wife Meghan, on Saturday. The couple initially watched from the stands, cheering and clapping for the UK's team as their competitors walked on the stage. Their public appearance came just hours after US President Donald Trump spoke about the couple in an interview, saying "I'll leave him alone" when asked whether he thought Prince Harry should be deported from the US. "He's got enough problems with his wife," the president added. "She's terrible." The prince founded the Invictus Games in London in 2014, with this year marking the seventh edition of the competition for wounded military veterans. The next nine days of competition will see more than 500 athletes competing in 11 different events, including winter sports for the first time. The ceremony included musical performances by Katy Perry, Coldplay's Chris Martin and Nelly Furtado. Giving an emotional speech at the ceremony, Prince Harry, who himself served in Afghanistan and saw some of his comrades suffer life-changing injuries, told the crowd of 40,000: "We gather here in Vancouver in a spirit of unity. "Beyond any differences, here at the Invictus Games we are grounded in mutual respect, competing fiercely, but believing in one another." The prince honoured Canada's indigenous First Nations peoples in his speech, thanking them for hosting the games. And he told the competitors: "Over the past decade I've lost count of the times we've heard you tell us that the Invictus Games saved you. "Respectfully, I disagree. Invictus didn't save you. You saved yourself." The ceremony also saw British group Coldplay take the stage, with frontman Chris Martin playing the Invictus Anthem, which he penned in 2014. Canadian singer Nelly Furtado performed her 2000s global hit I'm Like a Bird and invited dance crew ILL-Abilities on stage as part of her set. Pop star Katy Perry closed off the show, performing some of her repertoire including chart-topper Roar. Earlier, US President Donald Trump told the New York Post he would not be in favour of deporting the prince, who moved to the US in 2020. Some activists have questioned the Prince Harry's US visa status after he admitted previously taking illegal drugs in his memoir, Spare. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, filed a lawsuit asking for the prince's immigration records, suggesting he had lied on his visa form or was given special treatment when he and the duchess moved to Southern California in 2020. Trump has previously suggested that if Prince Harry was found to have lied "appropriate action" would be needed. But when asked on Friday by the New York Post whether the prince would be deported, Trump said: "I don't want to do that. I'll leave him alone. "He's got enough problems with his wife. She's terrible." He added that he believed "poor Harry is being led around by the nose". Former actress Meghan has in the past been a vocal critic of Trump, calling him "divisive" and a "misogynist", while Trump has previously called Meghan "nasty". In the interview, the president also praised Prince Harry's older brother, Prince William, "a great young man". Admitting past drug use does not automatically result denial of a US visa, but it can cause delays, and lying on a visa form can lead to deportation. US presidents do not normally get involved in individual visa decisions. The couple have not responded to Trump's comments. The prince was inspired to set up the games after seeing the 2013 Warrior Games in the US, where injured and retired service personnel competed. The first edition of the games was held in London in 2014, with subsequent competitions being staged in the US, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and Germany. The 2017 games in Toronto was also where Prince Harry was pictured with his then-girlfriend Meghan for the first time. She has joined him at every edition of the competition since.
