Joni Mitchell‘s beloved music catalog has returned to Spotify, seemingly marking the end of the musician’s two-year feud with the streaming service.

Fans noticed the change on Thursday, March 21, when the singer’s music reappeared on the platform. “JONI MITCHELL MUSIC BACK ON SPOTIFY THIS IS NOT A DRILL,” one excited listener tweeted. Another X user joked: “Joni Mitchell is making more noise on TL this year than any pop star.”

Although all of Mitchell’s classic albums are now back on the platform, some of them are hidden in an unusual place. Albums released before 1980, including those from 1971 Blue and 1972 For the Rosesare located under the ‘compilations’ tab of a playlist titled ‘The Studio Albums 1968-1979’.

As of Thursday, Mitchell, 80, has not made a statement about why she changed her tune and competed again. The iconic singer originally announced that she would be pulling her songs from Spotify in January 2022.

Her abrupt actions were a protest against the company’s continued distribution of the podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Mitchell accused at the time Joe Rogan of spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines on his podcast.

“I have decided to delete all my music from Spotify,” the nine-time Grammy winner wrote in one statement published on its website. “Irresponsible people spread lies that cost people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.”

Young, 78, left the platform shortly before Mitchell that same month. His decision to leave was also because of Rogan’s podcast.

After Young walked away, Spotify became co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek wrote one open letter apparently on the issue.

“We know we have a critical role to play in supporting creator expression while balancing this with the safety of our users,” Ek’s statement said. “In that role, it is important to me that we do not adopt the position of content censor and at the same time ensure that there are rules and consequences for those who break them.”

Ek, 41, also revealed that a content advisory would be added to podcasts discussing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month, Young also changed his mind and, like Mitchell, put his tracks back on Spotify.

He responded to the news via his website. “Spotify, the #1 streamer of low-resolution music in the world – Spotify, where you get less quality than what we created, will now be the home of my music again,” he declared on March 12. “My decision comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started offering the same disinformation podcast features that I opposed at SPOTIFY.

Young noted that he returned to the streaming service with “sincere hope that Spotify’s sound quality will improve and that people will be able to hear and feel all the music as we created it.”

He added: “I hope you, millions of Spotify users, enjoy my songs! They won’t all be there for you, except for the full sound we made.”

Justice officials said Thursday they are suing Apple, saying its devices and software constitute a monopoly and generate huge profits at the expense of customers.

“Every step in Apple’s course of action built and strengthened the moat around its smartphone monopoly,” the lawsuit said.

The U.S. Department of Justice and 15 states allege it used strong demand for its iPhone and other products to drive up prices and hurt smaller rivals in the first major antitrust effort against Apple.

For example, it is claimed that Apple is making it more difficult for competing payment apps and smartwatches to work with iPhones.

Instead, it prioritizes Apple Pay and Watch, rather than PayPal or Garmin, for example. Shares in both companies rose today on news of the lawsuit.

Another major complaint concerns messaging. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said users who try to message owners of other brands of smartphones end up experiencing issues such as videos not being sent.

Apple shares are having their worst day since August 2023 – down 4 percent at one point – on a day when the stock market hit record highs across the board.

Apple joins a list of major tech companies indicted by U.S. regulators, including Alphabet’s Google, Meta Platforms and Amazon.com under the administrations of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.

The lawsuit accuses Apple of five key areas in which it has denied rival companies full access to its technology – in an effort to stifle competition.

In addition to messaging apps, smartwatches and digital wallets, Apple has been accused of blocking competition so-called ‘super apps’ and cloud streaming gaming apps.

Apple is said to be making it harder for competing messaging apps and smartwatches to work with iPhones.

Officials also say it has blocked access to its contactless technology that enables mobile payments – meaning iPhone owners can only use the Apple Pay service.

Meanwhile, App Store rules surrounding game streaming services have hurt competition.

Super apps are apps that combine multiple functions, such as calling, messaging and payments, in one place, making it easier to switch between smartphone platforms. They are common in China and include WeChat.

The Justice Department cited an email chain from Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder who died in 2011, in which he said it “wasn’t nice to see” how easily consumers could switch from iPhones to Android phones and promised to protect developers ‘force’ its payment systems in an effort to capture both developers and consumers.

The case could drag on for years. If the DoJ wins or Apple makes concessions, Apple’s rivals will initially benefit.

But it would also mean better and cheaper apps and products made by third-party companies like Spotify or tracking gadget Tile.

“Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies violate antitrust laws,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

Garland said monopoly power is classified by the Supreme Court as “the power to control prices or exclude competition.”

He said: “As outlined in our complaint, Apple has that power in the smartphone market.

“If there’s no doubt about it. Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly.”

The Justice Department alleges that Apple uses its market power to get more money not just from consumers, but also from developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses and merchants.

The 88-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. federal court in Newark, New Jersey, said it aimed to “free the smartphone markets from Apple’s anticompetitive and exclusionary conduct and restore competition to lower smartphone prices for consumers , reduce costs for developers and preserve innovation for the future.”

The case takes direct aim at the digital fortress Apple has built around the iPhone and other popular products like the iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.

They have created what is often called a ‘walled garden’ – where the carefully designed hardware and software can flourish together seamlessly, while the consumer has to do little more than turn on the devices.

But the complaint is that this prevents other companies from working together so seamlessly.

The strategy has helped make Apple one of the largest companies in the world, with annual revenues of nearly $400 billion and, until recently a market value of more than $3 trillion.

Shares of Apple are down 7 percent this year, while most of the stock market has soared to new highs.

It has led to longtime rival Microsoft – the target of a major Justice Department antitrust lawsuit a quarter-century ago – taking the title of the world’s most valuable company.

Apple is already subject to antitrust investigations and injunctions in Europe, Japan and Korea, as well as lawsuits from corporate rivals such as Epic Games.

One of Apple’s most lucrative businesses – the App Store, which charges developers commissions of up to 30 percent – ​​has already survived a lengthy legal challenge under US law by Epic.

Although the lawsuit found that Apple had not violated antitrust laws, a federal judge ordered Apple to allow links and buttons to pay for apps without using Apple’s in-app payment commission.

“We believe this lawsuit is flawed on the facts and the law, and we will vigorously defend ourselves against it,” Apple said in a statement.

Do you want to cancel your monthly subscriptions? You are not alone.

Yet our music subscriptions are one of those things that are too hard to let go.

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So here are three ways to make those monthly costs a little cheaper.

Put up with the ads

This isn’t an option for the Apple Music listeners out there.

But Spotify fans can stream all their songs for free, as long as they tolerate ads.

This is the same for YouTube Music and Amazon Music.

Ad breaks between songs aren’t the only caveat users have to put up with on Spotify.

The free version of Spotify only allows users to pick and skip songs if they are in one of Spotify’s 15 curated playlists under the Made for You section on the homepage.

This can be a real pain if there is one song on your favorite album that you want to listen to.

Shuffle isn’t for everyone, but if you don’t mind it, then Spotify Free might be your best bet.

Rinse off the freebies

Like most subscription-based services, Apple and Spotify offer free trial periods of two to six months.

Companies regularly offer a variety of trials for both new and existing subscribers.

Apple Music always offers new subscribers at least 30 days free.

But a time-limited trial period often offers more time, for example this AirPods, HomePod or Beats deal that includes six months of free Apple Music to new subscribers.

Similarly, Spotify is also trying to attract new subscribers with its permanent offer of the first 30 days free.

Although Spotify currently is offering four months of free Premium streaming to new subscribers who are also Tinder members.

Get your friends involved

Consider involving your friends and family in a family plan.

Six people paying for subscriptions individually is often less than half of what a monthly solo membership costs.

For example, Spotify Premium costs £10.99/$10.99 for one person, £14.99/$14.99 for two people and £17.99/$16.99 for six people.

Six people on one family plan would pay just £2.99/$2.99 ​​per month instead of £10.99/$10.99 – that’s a saving of £96/$96 per year.

For Apple Music users, an individual plan costs £10.99/$10.99 per month, while the family plan for five people costs £16.99/$16.99.

That means each person in the group package pays just £3.40/$3.40 per month, down from £10.99/$10.99, saving each member £91/$91 annually.

If you are still studying, take out a student subscription; this is much cheaper than a standard individual subscription.

But remember: student plans still cost more than spreading the cost among five or six people.

SPOTIFY has been making a big change that users have been asking for for years, and that will certainly be the case on YouTube as well.

The popular music streaming service is adding full-length music videos to the platform for the first time.

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Premium users in the UK and ten other countries can now watch music videos from artists including Ed Sheeran and Ice Spice.

But American music fans will have to wait for now.

A new ‘Switch to Video’ button will appear on songs with an associated clip to watch.

Users can rotate their smartphone into landscape mode to enjoy videos in full screen.

Spotify is the world’s most popular music streaming service with more than 236 million subscribers.

Fans have welcomed the announcement, saying, “You can finally watch music videos on Spotify!”

Another said: “Amazing, takes me back to the good old days with MTV.”

A third wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Music videos definitely add a new dimension.

“While it’s similar to YouTube Music, I’m curious to see how you integrate them into the platform.”

How to watch music videos on Spotify

The ability to watch music videos on Spotify is currently in beta, meaning the app giant is still testing.

It will initially be rolled out to 11 countries, namely:

• The UK
• Germany
• Italy
• The Netherlands
• Poland
• Sweden
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Philippines
• Indonesia
• Kenya

While it’s rolling out, you may not immediately see the option in your Spotify account.

And it only works on songs that have video music uploaded – it will take a while before all music videos are available.

If a song has a music video, you’ll see a “Switch to Video” toggle.

You can go back to audio only by tapping the ‘Switch to Audio’ button that appears.

The feature works on eligible accounts via iOS, Android, desktop or TV device.

The European Union has imposed a massive $2 billion fine on Apple after finding that the tech giant wrongly favored its own music streaming service over rivals such as Spotify.

Despite the decision, Apple has promised to appeal.

The company banned app developers from “fully informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services outside the app,” according to the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm and top antitrust enforcer.

That is illegal under EU antitrust rules. Apple behaved this way for nearly a decade, which meant many users paid “significantly higher prices for music streaming subscriptions,” the commission said.

The fine follows a long-term investigation following a complaint from Spotify five years ago.

In response to the fine, Apple released a statement claiming the commission failed to find “any credible evidence of consumer harm, and ignores the reality of a market that is thriving, competitive and growing rapidly.”

“While we respect the European Commission, the facts simply do not support this decision,” the statement continued. Apple has promised to appeal the ruling.

The statement goes on to say that Spotify pays Apple “nothing for the services that have helped make them one of the most recognizable brands in the world.”

“We are proud to play a key role in supporting Spotify’s success – as we have done for developers of all sizes,” the statement said.

At a press conference Monday, Margrethe Vestager, executive vice president of the European Commission, accused Apple of “abusing” its position.

‘Apple has abused its dominant position in the market for ten years by distributing music streaming apps through the App Store. From now on, Apple will have to let music streaming developers communicate freely with their own users.’

‘[The fine] “reflects both Apple’s financial power and the harm Apple’s behavior has caused to millions of European users,” Vestager said.

Vestager has led global efforts to take on Big Tech companies, including a series of multi-billion dollar fines for Google and charging Meta with disrupting the online advertising market.

Google was fined $10 billion by Vestager’s office, while Apple was ordered to pay $15 billion to the Irish government for unfair tax benefits.

The commission also opened a separate antitrust investigation into Apple’s mobile payments service.

The committee’s investigation initially focused on two areas of concern.

One of these was the iPhone maker’s practice of forcing app developers who sell digital content to use its internal payment system, which charges a 30 percent commission on all subscriptions.

But the EU later dropped that to focus on how Apple is preventing app makers from telling their users about cheaper ways to pay for subscriptions that don’t require an app.

The investigation found that Apple banned streaming services from telling users how much subscription offers outside their apps cost, including links in their apps to pay for alternative subscriptions or even emailing users to tell them about different pricing options.

The fine comes the same week that new EU rules aimed at preventing tech companies from dominating digital markets come into effect.

The Digital Markets Act, which comes into effect on Thursday, imposes a series of do’s and don’ts on “gatekeeper” companies including Apple, Meta, Google parent Alphabet and TikTok parent ByteDance – under the threat of steep fines.

The DMA’s provisions are intended to prevent tech giants from engaging in the kind of behavior at the heart of the Apple investigation.

Apple has already revealed how it will comply, including by allowing iPhone users in Europe to use app stores other than its own and allowing developers to offer alternative payment systems.

The commission also opened a separate antitrust investigation into Apple’s mobile payments service, and the company has pledged to open its tap-and-go mobile payment system to rivals to resolve the problem.

By Jimmy Briggs for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 11:36 PM EST, February 24, 2024 | Updated: 00:59 EST, February 25, 2024

SPOTIFY users are being tempted to abandon the app after details of a new Apple Music feature were leaked.

Apple's rival service offers more than 100 million songs, but switching to it from Spotify has always proven difficult.

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That's because Spotify users have built up their own playlists over the years, and there's no built-in way to move them to Apple Music.

Now an in-testing Apple Music feature that lets you Handover Spotify playlists have been revealed.

The feature was discovered in the beta test version of Apple Music and Posted to Reddit.

It appears to build in the features of an existing app called SongShift that is designed to move playlists between streaming services.

The feature appears to ask users to “transfer music from other services,” with the note: “Add saved music and playlists you've created in other music services to your Apple Music library.”

Apple Music was launched on June 30, 2015 and has since grown into one of the largest music streaming services in the world.

It now boasts a catalog of more than 100 million songs, available ad-free as part of a $10.99/£10.99 monthly subscription.

But the service came late to the market, with Spotify launching almost a decade earlier, in April 2006.

So convincing music fans to ditch their Spotify playlists is a big ask – made much easier by this rumor feature.

Several users posted “finally” in response to the news on Reddit.

Another said: “Maybe I could finally switch to it if this happens.”

One added: “Maybe this is how I end up switching to Apple Music.

“I have Apple One for it family, so wanted to switch. The only obstacle is all my playlists in Spotify.”

Unfortunately, it's unclear exactly when – or even if – this feature will appear in the live version of Apple Music.

The feature may change, be dropped, or be heavily delayed as it appears to still be in a testing phase.

In the meantime, it's still possible to download SongShift and move your playlists manually.

Prince Harry today insisted ‘I love my family’ and that he ‘jumped on a plane’ to visit the King ‘as soon as I could’ after speaking on the phone about his cancer diagnosis.

The Duke of Sussex also revealed he was ‘grateful’ to have seen his father Charles III in person and hopes the diagnosis can have a ‘reunifying effect’ on the Royal Family.

Harry, 39, discussed his trip to see the King as he spoke publicly for the first time since Charles postponed all public-facing duties last week following the diagnosis. 

He also said he had ‘considered’ becoming a US citizen since moving to California – but added that his outlook on his father’s health ‘stays between me and him’.

Harry told ABC’s Good Morning America about his visit to London without Meghan and their children, less than 24 hours after the announcement on Charles’s health.

Asked by GMA presenter Will Reeve how the Duke’s trip for the meeting was for him ’emotionally’, Harry replied: ‘Um, look, I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that.’

At the end of a week that has seen a series of announcements by the Sussexes:

Reeve, the son of late Superman actor Christopher Reeve who was paralysed in 1995, said: ‘I’ve also found in my own life that sort of an illness in the family can have a galvanising or a sort of reunifying effect for a family. Is that possible in this case?’

Speaking exclusively to Reeve from a ski resort in Whistler, Canada, at an Invictus Games One Year To Go event, Harry replied: ‘Absolutely. Yeah, I’m sure. 

‘Throughout all these families I see it on a day-to-day basis, again, the strength of the family unit coming together. I think any illness, any sickness brings families together.’ 

Asked how he had ‘processed the fact that there’s so much happening back with your family and where you come from’, Harry said: ‘I have my own family, as we all do, right? My family and my life in California is as it is. I have got other trips planned that would take me through the UK or back to the UK. I will stop in and see my family as much as I can.’

And on being a father, Harry said: ‘I can’t tell you, that’s classified. It’s top secret. The kids are doing great. The kids are growing up like all kids do, very very fast. They have both got an incredible sense of humour and make us laugh and keep us grounded every single day, like most kids do. So I’m just very grateful to be a dad.’ 

Harry said living in the US was ‘amazing – I love every single day.’ Asked ‘do you feel American’, the Duke said: ‘Do I feel American? No. I don’t know how I feel.’ 

But questioned over whether he would think about becoming a US citizen, Harry added: ‘I have considered it, yeah.’ 

Asked what would stop him doing it, the Duke said: ‘I have no idea. I’m here standing here next to this with these guys. American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind but certainly not something that’s a high priority for me right now.’

Quizzed over where he gets the desire to be so involved in helping other people, Harry said: ‘I have always had a life of service. I get my fix with these guys. There’s no version of me coming here watching them and not getting involved myself.’ 

Later in the interview, Harry was asked about what it meant to him to meet competitors at the Invictus Games.

He said: ‘It’s my fix. Once you leave the military, from a uniform standpoint, you never leave the community. And to have the games every other year, but then also be able to do a One Year To Go event as well is literally my annual fix to be in amongst this community and have a laugh, have fun, no matter which nation they’re from, the banter’s the same. I get a lot of energy from being around these guys.’

He added: ‘You would not believe the number of people that have signed up to throw themselves head first on a tray down an ice luge.’

Harry also said: ‘It’s proving to people that this is possible no matter what your disability is.’

And he told Reeve: ‘ You’ve got to provide the resources and the opportunities and platform for them to be able to heal themselves. If they heal themselves, then the whole family heals. To me, that is without doubt, the most rewarding piece to all of this.’ 

At the start of the show, GMA said the chat would be a ‘one-on-one with Prince Harry on his father King Charles’s cancer diagnosis, his relationship with the Royal Family now, how he is as a dad, and giving us access to the first ever Invictus winter games’.

It later added: ‘Ahead, Prince Harry. What he says about his father’s health and their relationship now as he gives us a first look at the first ever Invictus winter games.’

The Duke, who lives in Montecito with his wife and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, flew to the UK last week to see the King.

But there was no meeting with his brother, the Prince of Wales, after Harry spent around 45 minutes at Clarence House seeing their father.

The interview comes after a week of announcements from Harry and his wife the Duchess of Sussex.

Meghan signed a deal with Lemonada Media to record new podcast shows, and the company will distribute her previous series.

Her Archetypes podcast about female stereotypes ran for just one series before a lucrative deal with Spotify ended in 2023.

The couple also relaunched their Archewell website, the name of their foundation, rebranding it The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

A film crew led by Mr Reeve has been following Harry and his wife Meghan Markle since they arrived in Canada on Tuesday for a countdown event to the Invictus Games in Whistler and Vancouver. 

In a tweet posted at 1.49am UK time (9pm Eastern Time last night), the GMA account wrote: ‘Exclusive: The all-new interview with Prince Harry on his life with Meghan, how his father King Charles is doing and his passion supporting wounded warriors.’ 

This was accompanied by a clip showing Harry speaking to Mr Reeve in Whistler and a photo of the King waving as he left The London Clinic on January 29. 

A voiceover said: ‘Tomorrow morning, a GMA exclusive, Prince Harry, the all-new interview on his life today with Meghan, how his father the King is doing and on his passion – supporting wounded warriors. Tomorrow on Good Morning America.’

The trip comes as they unveiled a rebrand on Monday with a glossy new Sussex.com website, which saw critics claim they were trying to cash in on royal connections. 

But last night, the Sussexes defiantly hit back by insisting: ‘We will not be broken’. 

And the visit comes just over a week after Harry returned from a flying visit to London, where he met with his father for 45 minutes following his cancer diagnosis.

He was seen two days later at an NFL awards ceremony in Las Vegas but was absent from the Super Bowl last Sunday, before he and Meghan relaunched their website. 

Meanwhile, Kensington Palace confirmed today that Harry’s brother Prince William will attend the Bafta Film Awards at London’s Royal Albert Hall this Sunday evening.

The Prince of Wales is the Bafta president and will watch the ceremony before meeting winners – and it comes ahead of a wider return to public duties as his wife Kate Middleton continues to recuperate following her abdominal surgery last month.

Harry and Meghan have come under fire in recent days over their new Sussex.com website, in particular Meghan’s coat of arms – which critics claim is a breach of their promise to the late Queen Elizabeth II when they quit front-line royal duties.

Their decision to change their children Archie and Lilibet’s surnames to Sussex has also raised eyebrows among royal watchers.

The moves have sparked a fresh round of criticism of the Duke and Duchess and renewed calls for the duo to have their titles removed. But a representative told the Mirror that the couple ‘will not be broken’. 

They added: ‘We’ve heard time and time again that certain opportunities are make or break for the couple. They’re still here. 

‘They’re still working and pursuing what they believe in, despite being constantly challenged and criticised. This couple will not be broken.’

Now, Harry has been interviewed for the first time since Charles postponed all public-facing duties because of his cancer diagnosis. 

Yesterday, the Sussexes did not look phased as they took part in activities at the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistlers One Year To Go Winter Training Camp, while being followed around by a camera crew. 

While Meghan did not take part in the bobsledding fun at the Whistler Sliding Center in British Columbia, she was able to enjoy every aspect of her husband’s ride when he got off the sled – before he enthusiastically re-enacted it to his wife and Invictus volunteers after getting off.

The Duchess – who has joined her husband on a multi-day trip to Canada in honor of the one-year countdown to the 2025 Invictus Games – also served as her husband’s personal photographer.

She was beaming with pride as she held up her phone to snap images and clips as he whizzed to the end of the track. 

But Meghan – who accessorized her phone with a $250 case from Bottega Veneta – was not the only videographer on hand to capture every moment of the Duke’s whistle-top trip around the bobsled track. 

The ABC crew was closely following the Sussexes, interviewing Harry for ten minutes after his first bobsledding adventure, before he set off for a second go around the track. 

When asked by an onlooker whether she planned to join her husband in trying out the daring sport, Meghan laughingly yelled back: ‘I can’t!’

However, she watched on with pride as her husband completed his two runs – although she took some time to warm up in the back of the couple’s Ford Expedition SUV while Harry took some time out from the track to chat with the GMA crew.

But before long, he was back at it, drawing his wife out of the car to watch on as he enjoyed a second race on the sled.  

After whizzing round for a second time, a beaming Harry made his way down the hill arm-in-arm with Meghan, posing for pictures as they went.

Harry and Meghan kicked off day two of their Invictus Games One Year to Go tour shortly after 1pm local time yesterday (9pm UK time) – although their appearance at the venue was delayed by over 30 minutes while the Duke was given a safety briefing.

The couple, fresh from a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner date, were both on chipper form as they made their entrance to the venue, with a beaming Harry whizzing past on his bobsled and Meghan quipping ‘I can hear him’ as his sled set off and filming him on her phone as he flashed past.

Meghan was wrapped up against the -4C (25F) temperatures in a black padded jacket and leggings and a navy hat and scarf while her husband kept things casual in gray pants and a black insulated Invictus Games-branded jacket – topped off with a white crash helmet.

After the high-speed arrival, to the sound of Invictus branded cowbells waved by onlookers, came a meet and greet with athletes preparing to perform at the event next year on a platform overlooking the track.

Among the athletes waiting to be introduced were Canadian veteran and mental health advocate Mark Beare, Estonian former soldier and amputee Rasmus Penno and Nigerian powerlifter and ex-soldier Peacemaker Azuegbulam.

Peacemaker, a 27-year-old double amputee from Imo, Nigeria, made his skeleton debut immediately after Harry – despite never having seen snow or been on a bobsled before.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Peacemaker said he was thrilled to be reunited with the couple after being introduced to them at Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany, last year where he won a gold medal in powerlifting.

Now preparing to take part in the skeleton competition at the 2025 Games, despite only making his debut today, the double amputee said the sport had helped him come to terms with the injuries he sustained during a firefight with Boko Haram terrorists in November 2020.

He said: ‘At first I felt ashamed because of my injuries but then I was introduced to the Games and began with playing volleyball. Now I feel good, now I feel recovered.

‘I am proud to be the first Invictus champion from Africa and I feel recharged. It totally changed my mindset.’

Certainly there could be no better place to try out the sport than at the track, which is part of the Whistler Blackcomb resort, a venue built specifically for the 2010 Winter Olympics which were also held in the town, and which boasts a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track.

However, the track – which is billed as the fastest in the world – is not for the faint of heart, featuring a staggering 485ft (148m) vertical drop and 16 curves, while the surrounding stadium has space for 12,000 spectators. 

Described by the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) as an ‘adrenaline sport’, skeleton racing was developed more than 100 years ago in Switzerland when amateur daredevils began racing down icy slopes on toboggan sleds. 

Ultimately, the hobby grew so popular that it was added to the Winter Olympics line-up – and the daring athletes who now take part in the sport now reach a staggering top speed of more than 93 miles-per-hour – more than 30 miles faster than Harry managed during his attempts. 

While the row over Sussex.com remains ongoing, it has failed to detract from their enjoyment of the Invictus Games training camp with both seen laughing and joking with competitors on day one which took place on Wednesday in sub-zero conditions on the slopes of Blackcomb Mountain.

There, Harry tried his hand at sit-ski – an adapted version of the sport designed for amputees – while Meghan smiled broadly as she met visually impaired athletes who were nonetheless prepared to take to the slopes in next year’s competition.

Later, the couple met First Nations youth ambassadors representing the native Canadian tribes on whose land the Games are taking place.

The duo privately toured the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Center in Whistler where they were shown around by Chief Nelson and Wilson Williams and met artists who created the new Invictus Games logo for the event.

In a statement, Harry and Meghan said: ‘The evening and presentation were extremely meaningful.

‘IG2025 and the couple could not be more proud to share the artists’ piece with the world. The couple recognizes the significance of the First Nation communities welcoming the Invictus Games onto their sacred land and are thankful for their warmth and hospitality.’

The pair, who have been staying in Whistler, are due to head back to Vancouver ahead of an event in the City of Glass today where Harry is due to make a speech.

After that, the couple are expected to head home to Montecito, California, where they will be reunited with their children Archie, four, and Lilibet, two.