Prince Harry appears at Tokyo summit: ‘My life is charity – always has been, always will be’

The duke made his comments at the International Sports Promotion Society sports values summit in Japan. Photo / AP

The Duke of Sussex told a summit in Tokyo his “life is charity” for in first in-person public engagement since mid-May.

Prince Harry’s appearance in Japan came after he and the Duchess of Sussex claimed to have been involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” with paparazzi photographers after attending a charity award event in New York that month.

Speaking at the summit on Wednesday, the Duke said: “I’ve been involved in many charities for most of my life, and I get a huge amount of fulfilment giving back to as many people as possible. My life is charity – always has been, always will be.”

The Duke, 38, arrived in Japan on Tuesday to attend the International Sports Promotion Society sports values summit with Nacho Figueras, an Argentinian polo player and close friend.

Prince Harry and former All Black Dan Carter attend an event organised by the International Sports Promotion Society (ISPS). Photo / AP

He said: “I have long believed that sport is a conduit for healing – not just for the mind and body but the world.

“Sport requires having a dream and the need for community. Whether banded together in victory or showing up with respect in loss, no one ever crosses a finish line or scores a goal without the help and belief of others.

“The lessons we learn on the field are often the same principles of philanthropy – that a mission, hard work, dedication and partnership can make even the impossible possible. That is what giving back requires, and we are all capable of creating or joining a team to do so.”

The prince travelled without his wife and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. It is believed to be his first overseas trip since he travelled to the UK to take the witness stand in his phone hacking lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers.

The summit appearance also comes after the Sussexes were filmed as they made congratulatory calls from their Montecito garden to some of the recipients of the first Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund grants.

They were recorded making the surprise calls to a handful of young American entrepreneurs, whose reactions were also caught on camera.

The Tokyo summit was attended by several international high-profile representatives including former All Black Dan Carter, and Steve James, a Royal Australian Navy veteran and Invictus gold medallist.

James thanked the duke for saving his life with the creation of the Invictus Games, the tournament held to aid the rehabilitation of injured and sick military personnel and veterans, in 2014.

He competed in athletics, wheelchair basketball, indoor rowing and wheelchair rugby before winning gold in the discus at the event last year.

The veteran, who was injured during a fall at sea and left with chronic pain, neurological issues and mental health challenges, said: “I needed Invictus to teach me a very different approach to sport – it’s enabling, it helps pain go away. I would like to thank Prince Harry for saving my life.”

Following the event, the duke will travel to Singapore to play in his annual fundraising Sentebale Polo Cup this weekend.

Speaking last week, he said: “The funds raised this year will support our clubs and camps programme, which provides intensive psychosocial support to young people living with HIV.”

He will play for the Royal Salute Sentebale Team against the Singapore Polo Club Team, which will be captained by Figueras, the charity’s ambassador.