BERLIN — Prince Harry arrived in the western German city of Duesseldorf on Saturday where he will open the Invictus Games, a competition for wounded, injured and ill service personnel and veterans.

Harry, also known as the Duke of Sussex, was welcomed by the mayor, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, and about 100 cheering fans who had come to the old city where he quickly entered City Hall for a reception, German news agency dpa reported.

The Invictus Games are being held at Duesseldorf’s Merkus Spiel arena. During the opening ceremony there, Harry will be accompanied by Pistorius.

Harry founded the Invictus Games to aid the rehabilitation of service members and veterans by giving them the challenge of competing in sports events similar to the Paralympics.

He served in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter copilot gunner in 2012-2013.