Katy Perry thrilled the crowd at the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada as she performed at the opening ceremony on Saturday.
The pop star, 40, showed support to her Montecito neighbors, Prince Harry, 40 — who founded the event in 2014 — and his wife Meghan Markle, 43, as she hit the stage as one of the headliners.
The singer closed out the opening ceremony, held at BC Place stadium, with a number of her hits, including Firework, Dark Horse, Roar and Part of Me.
Perry opted for a sporty look, wearing a sleeveless vest over a white corset with a matching pair of grey gym shorts. Her ensemble was completed with futuristic over-the-knee white boots and garters.
Her appearance comes despite a plea from the family of disabled veteran Carl Westcott, 84, who has been locked in a years-long legal battle with Perry over her $15M Montecito mansion, for the Duke of Sussex to exclude her from the event.
Prince Harry has been dragged into the feud since he is the founder of the Invictus Games, an international multi-sport event for wounded, injured, and sick men and women, both serving and veterans.
Katy Perry, 40, thrilled the crowd at the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada as she performed at the opening ceremony on Saturday
Perry’s appearance comes despite a plea from the family of disabled veteran Carl Westcott, 84, for Prince Harry — who founded the event in 2014 — to exclude her from the event
Perry was joined on stage by a large ensemble, including the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy, the 15th Field Regiment Band, the Royal Canadian Artillery Band, 70 members of the Invictus Games Dance Corp, and 10 Invictus Games puppets and performers as per People.
The ceremony also featured performances by Chris Martin of Coldplay, Nelly Furtado, Roxanne Bruneau, and Noah Kahan.
In December 2024, it was revealed that Westcott’s family sent a scathing letter to Prince Harry days after Perry was announced as the headliner for the Invictus Games.
Westcott, the former owner of the singer’s Montecito mansion, has been embroiled in a lawsuit with Perry for four years, and after the latest development of her countersuing for $6 million in damages, the Westcott family isn’t backing down.
In a letter sent to Prince Harry exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, Carl’s son, Chart Westcott, detailed his family’s concerns regarding Perry performing at the Invictus Games.
He and wife Meghan are also close pals and neighbors with Perry and her fiance Orlando Bloom — who will soon be forced to testify in court over the legal battle with Westcottt — in Montecito, California.
Carl, a veteran of the U.S. Army, has been bedridden for over a year as he continues to battle Huntington’s disease. His family has been heavily involved with the vet’s legal matters since he has been ‘mentally incapacitated’ since the beginning of the lawsuit.
Chart, 39, writes in the letter to the British royal, ‘Our father, who served honorably in the 101st Airborne Division, was one of the soldiers deployed by President Eisenhower to uphold civil rights during the Little Rock Nine crisis.’
‘His lifetime of entrepreneurship, for which he was inducted into the Horatio Alger Society for Distinguished Americans, embodies the resilience and values celebrated by the Invictus Games.’
The pop star showed support to her Montecito neighbors, The Duke of Sussex, 40, and his wife Meghan Markle, 43, as she hit the stage
Perry opted for a sporty look, wearing a sleeveless vest over a white corset with a matching pair of grey gym shorts
Her ensemble was completed with futuristic over-the-knee white boots and garters
The singer closed out the opening ceremony, held at BC Place stadium, with a number of her hits, including Firework, Dark Horse, Roar and Part of Me
Perry was joined on stage by a large ensemble, including the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy, the 15th Field Regiment Band, the Royal Canadian Artillery Band, 70 members of the Invictus Games Dance Corp, and 10 Invictus Games puppets and performers as per People
The ceremony also featured performances by Chris Martin of Coldplay, Nelly Furtado, Roxanne Bruneau, and Noah Kahan
Her black tresses were pulled into a high ponytail
The star gave a thrilling performance
‘Tragically, at 85 years old and bedridden with Huntington’s disease, he has been unable to fully defend himself in a protracted legal dispute with Ms. Perry over his Montecito home.’
Mr. Westcott goes on to explain the years-long lawsuit and mentions that the second trial is scheduled for February 25.
‘As our father’s health declines, my brother and I are fighting to preserve his legacy, as a man and as a veteran, yet this legal struggle has become a source of immense pain for our family,’ Chart continues, referring to his brother Court, who is married to The Real Housewives of Dallas alum Kameron Westcott.
‘The choice to feature Ms. Perry at the Invictus Games feels at odds with the event’s mission to honor veterans and their sacrifices.
‘While Ms. Perry’s participation may be seen as a gesture of support for veterans, her relentless pursuit of our father in court tells a different story—one that deeply undermines the values the Games stand for.’
Chart concludes the letter by ‘respectfully’ requesting Prince Harry to ‘reconsider’ the decision to secure the Firework songstress in the Vancouver lineup.
He adds, ‘Our family greatly admires the work of the Invictus Foundation and its commitment to veterans worldwide. We believe that highlighting individuals whose actions align with these values is critical to preserving the integrity of this event.’
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, Chart explained more about his family’s motives when it came to their decision to write to Prince Harry.
‘It just seems like he could not have been aware of this incident and Katy’s actions and complete lack of empathy to my father and our family,’ Chart said.
‘She doesn’t care about disabled veterans, much less any of the folks who care to attend the Invictus Games. I know Harry, himself, is a veteran and that’s important to him, and I would hope that he would not want anyone or anything associated with the games that had not shown themselves to be friends to the veterans community in the past.’
As of May, Perry gained control of the $15 million property after she was awarded rights to the Montecito estate.
Prince Harry and wife Meghan are also close pals and neighbors with Perry and her fiance Orlando Bloom; the couple seen at the opening ceremony on Saturday night
The couple shared a kiss at the event
The Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event for wounded, injured, and sick men and women, both serving and veterans
In December 2024 it was revealed that Westcott’s family sent a scathing letter to Prince Harry days after Perry was announced as the headliner for the Invictus Games
In the letter, exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, Carl’s son, Chart Westcott (pictured with his dad in 2023), detailed his family’s concerns regarding Perry’s performance, writing that it feels ‘at odds with the event’s mission to honor veterans’
Carl, a veteran of the U.S. Army, has been bedridden for over a year as he continues to battle Huntington’s disease. He is the former owner of the singer’s Montecito mansion, and has been embroiled in a lawsuit with Perry over the home for four years
She officially filed the deed for the property and has taken over ownership from Westcott. She’s currently working on renovating the home since she is claiming $6 million in damages and lost income.
Chart told DailyMail.com about the emotional toll the real estate battle has been on his family. ‘It’s the elephant in the room. It’s been a constant source of stress…It’s painful. It was the house [Carl] wanted to die in and him not being able to stay there, it was really a very big contributor to where he ended up.’
Ailing Westcott agreed to sell his eight-bed home to Perry in 2020 for $15million but days later tried to nix the deal claiming he was under the influence of painkillers when he signed.
A court ruled the contract was legit and in 2023 Perry was declared the legal owner of the gated 1930s estate which boasts a tennis court, two guesthouses and a pool.
The Firework singer still wants to knock around $6million off the price, however, claiming that the bedridden octogenarian owes her vast sums for repairs and lost rental income.
But she’ll have to make her case in person after a California judge ruled that Perry must give evidence at an upcoming damages trial where she’ll come face to face with Westcott’s furious kin, who say the ‘exhausting’ battle has marred their beloved patriarch’s final days.
