Prince Harry Visits Canada Olympic House in London

Prince Harry paid a visit to members of Canada’s Olympic Team on Thursday, and watched the women’s eight rowing team clinch the silver medal along with the athletes at Canada House.

Dressed in a blue blazer, blue dress shirt with an Olympic pin on the lapel, Harry smiled and chatted with the athletes, even posing for pictures. He was initially greeted by Canadian rower Malcolm Howard, whose team recently won the silver medal for men’s eight.

The Canada Olympic House, located in the heart of Trafalgar Square, had 123 guests at the time of Prince Harry’s visit which included athletes and their family members. After meeting Howard, the prince chatted with Canadian slalom kayaker Michael Tyler, who asked the prince the best place to hang out in London.

The prince responded with a smile, “I don’t go out anymore, I’m too old, I’m too old.”

Harry, along with the athletes at Canada House, watched the Canadian women’s eight team attempt to beat their rivals, the Americans, in a fast-paced race. However, the American team, who have not lost a World Cup race since 2005, proved to be a dominant force leading the race and defending their Olympic championship title.

The Canadian team was looking for gold, and Peter Cookson, the performance director for the Canadian Olympic rowing squads, told the media “Are we totally satisfied? I would say no. They were going for gold and their prep work was incredibly good. We threw the bucket at the U.S.”

However, it was a joyous moment for the team, especially for Darcy Marquardt from Richmond, BC, who has invested more than a decade in pursuit of an Olympic medal. “I had so much trust in the work we’ve done. We’ve been so consistent day after day in training and racing this season. We laid it all on the lane today and that’s an Olympic silver. We can’t be upset with that,” she told reporters.

Before the race, the team members promised one another to maintain their trust, work together as a team and invest all their energy on the race. The women came with their game face on, and Port Moody’s Krista Guloien told the media “That’s what we trained for. We trained to get as close to perfection as we possibly could. That was our perfection today.”

Photo Caption: Prince Harry is greeted by Canadian rower Malcolm Howard, who shows the prince his Olympic silver medal.

Image Courtesy of Ryan Remiorz, Canadian Press