Prince Harry gets a fake tattoo from country star Jelly Roll in Invictus Games promo

Prince Harry takes part in a comedy sketch alongside US artist Jelly Roll ahead of next year's Invictus Games. Photo / Invictus Games Foundation

The Duke of Sussex has been videoed being given a fake tattoo by a US country artist in a new skit to promote the Invictus Games.

Captured in the East Side Ink studio in New York, the Duke is seen shouting as he appears to be given a neck tattoo by Jelly Roll, a rapper and singer, in exchange for a performance at the closing ceremony of the games.

The sketch has been filmed to grab attention as part of the promotional build-up to the sporting competition for wounded veterans being held in Canada next February, but it might not have had the reaction the Duke had hoped for.

Fans were quick to point out on social media that Jelly Roll was the wrong choice as he has been seen to be associated with Donald Trump.

The singer, who has spent time in jail and is therefore unable to vote, refused to endorse any candidates for the 2024 presidential election but has been seen to be on friendly terms with Trump, now the President-Elect.

The comedy sketch marks a different approach to the usual engagements that would pepper the build-up to the Games, and shows Prince Harry employing a new advertising tactic to engage directly with a younger audience.

While a pretend tattoo comedic prank seems a very long way from anything likely to be done by the royal palaces, it has clearly been devised as a social media-friendly approach to advertising.

The Duke of Sussex meets country artist and rapper Jelly Roll in a new promo video for the Invictus Games. Photo / Invictus Games Foundation

The light-hearted approach and Instagram format is more palatable for Gen Z, as well as portraying Harry in a more personable way in the hopes of bringing new attention to the Games next year.

And a sketch like this may not be too dissimilar from the way things have been done at home.

Harry may have taken inspiration from his late grandmother, who famously agreed to play herself in a comedic skit of her having afternoon tea with Paddington Bear in Windsor Castle on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee.

The sketch featuring the late Queen enthralled audiences worldwide, and her ability to act on screen even took the professionals by surprise.

The Queen delighted an audience of millions around the world by inviting Paddington Bear for tea at Windsor Castle. Photo / Supplied

The top-secret video, which was released just a few months before her death in September 2022, touched the hearts of so many people that thousands were moved to leave tributes of teddy bears and jars of jam outside royal residences.

So the Duke may have learned a thing or two about the powerful effects a good comedy sketch can have for the popularity of the royals and their causes.

And there is no cause more important to him to bolster than the Games, taking place in Vancouver and Whistler in 2025.

It is the initiative of which Harry remains most proud and connected to from his time as a working royal, and the promotional content for it has been amped up as the starting date approaches.

The next event, being held in July 2027, will be hosted in Birmingham, marking its first return to the UK after the city beat competition from Washington DC to win a closely fought bid.

While Harry’s turn to acting may not have been the glamorous Hollywood event that we might have expected, it remains to be seen whether his fake tattoo will be effective in bringing new fans to the Games next year.