Prince Harry Reveals His Candid 'Wish' for Invictus Games at 10 Years (Exclusive)

Prince Harry's greatest wish for the Invictus Games is that there will no longer be a need for the adaptive sports tournament for veterans who are wounded, injured or sick. 

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 on Feb. 9, the Duke of Sussex shared his sincere hope for the event he founded a decade ago.

"I wish that we could close this down because there wasn’t a need for it, but as long as there’s a need for it, we will keep it going," Prince Harry says.

"I know the U.K. is looking forward to having the Games back, to where it started, in just over a couple years," he adds, referring to Invictus' next edition in Birmingham, England, in 2027.

Harry, a former captain in the British Army, launched the international competition as a support for service members and veterans in London in 2014, making last year Invictus' tenth anniversary.

"It’s amazing how after 10 years that we’re still doing this, that we still need to do this. We will continue the Games for as long as it's needed, and the need is increasing, rather than reducing," Prince Harry tells PEOPLE about marking the milestone. "So the fact that there will be a full cycle back in 2027 back to the U.K. is a place that I never thought we would be." 

The Duke of Sussex was in his element on the ground at the Invictus Games in Vancouver and Whistler, where he was supported by wife Meghan Markle and spent much time with competitors. 

"It is full of positivity," a friend of the couple says. "Harry is walking around with a big smile on his face, and he can’t go very far without being stopped every few seconds. But that’s what it’s all about."

For Harry, the team behind the scenes of the Invictus Games is equally dear. The latest iteration was years in the making, with over 500 athletes from 23 countries convening in Canada to go for the gold on the court, ice and slopes. 

"From a personal aspect, I’m just really grateful and proud for everybody who has been involved in the planning and the organization. So many people said to me after the Opening Ceremony, 'How do you guys keep this going, with the world the way that it is? With the financial piece to this, how do you keep this going?' I said, 'With a really, really strong team behind it and people all over the world who know the value of putting something like this on,' " he tells PEOPLE.

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"Not just by creating the platform and the focus for the veterans and their families, the service personnel and their families, and the community, but also by what that signifies and represents to the rest of the world. I think that, to me, is the most important piece," the Duke says.

For more on Prince Harry and the Invictus Games, pick up PEOPLE's latest issue, on newsstands Friday.