The Duke of Sussex dropped in at a special screening in Chula Vista, California, on Monday.
Sometimes dropping in unannounced can be a welcome treat! This was the case for Prince Harry when he showed up to surprise fans at a special screening of his upcoming Netflix docu-series, Heart of Invictus.
ET has learned that Prince Harry attended the screening because he wanted to do something special for the USO and greeted fans, which included active military, wounded warriors, and military family members.
Harry's appearance at the screening, which took place in Chula Vista, California, on Monday, was unplanned and there were no press cameras in the room.
However, several fans took to social media to share their excitement at Harry's unexpected appearance and gleefully praised the Prince for coming out to support his project.
One audience member, Bonnie Pham, shared a video of herself and her friend, GraceAnn Skidmore, smiling gleefully before panning over to show Harry addressing the crowd. She wrote over the video, "When it's a random Monday night and Prince Harry crashes the premiere of his show in random Chula Vista."
After the screening, the two friends managed to get a selfie with Harry, Skidmore wrote about how special the moment really was for her.
"Last night I was invited to a special screening of Prince Harry’s new documentary series 'HEART OF INVICTUS,' at AMC CHULA VISTA, CA and got to meet the Duke of Sussex, Harry Himself," she wrote. "As a military spouse, USO volunteer, and someone who is passionate about military advocacy this event was one of a kind and I am so thankful for the experience."
"Harry is every bit as gracious in person as in the media in his mission to support veterans across the world," she added. "Thank you USO, thank you Netflix!"
ET got a chance to speak with Pham and Skidmore via video chat on Wednesday, and the friends opened up about the "surreal" and exciting screening experience.
"We were a little bit surprised when we walked up to the movie theater, because, it's not the most fancy movie theater," Skidmore shared. "Things just seemed pretty low key like for a Monday night at the movie theater."
"I was truly shocked," Skidmore said of Harry's appearance. "I had no inkling of even the remote possibility of him coming."
"I think the whole audience was still in shock that, you know, we had to sit there the whole time as well, and watch the episodes and realize, 'Oh, my God, he's literally just sitting with us,'" Pham recalled excitedly. "It was amazing."
Harry sat with the audience during the screening, and briefly spoke at the event, and the friends explained how they made sure to find an opportunity to get a photo with the prince.
"It was really, really such an honor," she added. "And it just felt like, for me, I was like, 'He's just a guy speaking to us and truly telling us about his passions.'"
Produced by Harry and Meghan Markle's Archewell Productions, as well as Netflix, Heart of Invictus follows five veterans, who have both visible and invisible injuries from their time in the service, as they compete in the 2020 Invictus Games at The Hauge, Netherlands -- which was held in 2022 due to the pandemic.
"The series follows a group of extraordinary competitors from around the globe, all service members who have experienced life-changing injuries or illnesses, on their road to the Invictus Games The Hague," a press release for the series details. "The multi-episode series joins the competitors as they train, and along the way reveal powerful stories of resilience and hope. The series also follows the organizers as they work to prepare for the Games alongside each nation's team, supporting the competitors as well as their friends and families."
The Netflix special premieres ahead of the 2023 Invictus Games, which will kick off Sept. 9 in Düsseldorf, Germany. The Duke of Sussex founded the Games in 2014. Since then, the Invictus Games have been held in Orlando, Florida; London; Sydney, Australia; and Toronto, Canada.
Heart of Invictus begins streaming on Aug. 30 on Netflix.
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