Though Prince Harry has stepped back from his royal duties, he has not stopped supporting his fellow veterans. In fact, his resolution remains “Unbroken,” much like the spirits of those that would be competing in the 2020 Invictus games (had they not been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.) Though the event won’t go on, the spirit of the Invictus Games remains strong. To honor this resolve, Prince Harry enlisted the help of Jon Bon Jovi to record a new version of his 2019 song “Unbroken.” The song, released on Mar. 27, features the 12-piece Invictus Games Choir, and it’s the pick-me-up you needed today.
To make a song worthy of the spirit that will be on display at the games – which would have taken place in The Netherlands from May 9-16 – the duo went to a historic place to capture the sound. “Recorded inside Abbey Road Studios, home to The Beatles and other music legends, The Duke of Sussex joins Jon Bon Jovi and the Invictus Games Choir for a special live session in aid of the Invictus Games Foundation,” the official Instagram account of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex posted on Feb. 28. “The song being played, called ‘Unbroken,’ was created by Jon Bon Jovi to shine a spotlight on those veterans living with Post Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI), to honor their service and acknowledge the strength of the Armed Forces community. The Duke and JBJ are both strong supporters of the military community, with The Duke founding the Invictus Games in 2014.”
The Invictus Games Choir, made up of wounded, injured and sick veterans and serving personnel from all services and different ranks of the UK Armed Forces, have come together to use the power of music to aid their recovery,” the message continued. “Although The Duke was unable to sing, leaving the vocals to the professionals, the special single that was recorded in Studio 2 where The Beatles recorded 11 out of their 13 albums and will be released in March in support of the @WeAreInvictusGames.
“In light of everything that’s going on right now, I’m happy that he could take the time to be here for the choir and make it happen,” Jon Bon Jovi said, per PEOPLE, referencing Harry’s decision to remove himself, Meghan Markle, and their son Archie away from their British Royal family duties and relocate to North America. “[We have] immense respect for the family and for his brother and himself, his wife, his father, his grandmother, his grandfather. We have much respect for them in America. That’s all I can comment on. I don’t know what it’s like to walk in his shoes.”
“I can’t really comment, I’m not really here,” he added. “We see it on the news. It’s very different when you see soldiers at war on the news. People change the channel, and then their minds aren’t on them. When we see things like what Harry and Meghan have gone through, we turn the channel off and things are over with. You don’t know what it’s like to walk in anyone else’s shoes.”