Knock off the old (ice) block? Prince Harry follows his late grandmother the Queen’s foot as he drops the puck before the Vancouver Canucks game – but suffers an awkward mistake and has to be asked to let go

Prince Harry followed in his grandmother’s footsteps last night when he dropped the puck while attending an NHL hockey game with Meghan Markle.

The Duke, 39, and Duchess, 42, of Sussex made a surprise visit to the game and watched the Vancouver Canucks beat the San Jose Sharks 3-1 from a VIP box at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

When the Canucks won the game, Harry jumped up and Meghan put down her wine glass so they could both dance to celebrate the win to the Simple Minds hit “Don’t You Forget About Me.”

And in a poignant moment reminiscent of Elizabeth II in 2002, when she went to a game during an 11-day tour of Canada in honor of her Golden Jubilee, Harry triggered the action by dropping the puck.

A photo of the moment reflected the Queen’s action as she threw the puck to start a game between the same teams – although Harry’s attempt to throw the puck was reportedly more awkward than his grandmother’s.

The late Queen Elizabeth II dropped the puck when the same teams played on her Golden Jubilee tour in 2002 while she was making an 11-day tour of Canada

Prince Harry (picture middle) as he drops the puck. According to player Tomáš Hertl, he was allegedly told he had to throw it and said the King simply continued to hold the puck and smile

Queen Elizabeth II dropped the ceremonial puck at a game, also between the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks, during her two-week Golden Jubilee tour of Canada in 2002.

It was the first NHL game the Queen had attended since 1951, when, still a princess, she and Prince Philip watched the Montreal Canadiens take on the New York Rangers.

One difference between the Puck photos is that her grandson appears far less formal in his appearance, dressed in an entirely dark outfit. He paired dark pants with a matching sweater over a white shirt as well as a blazer and sneakers.

The 2002 photo shows the late monarch in one of her iconic monochromatic outfits, a maroon dress paired with her favorite black heels and a patent handbag.

Another difference, according to local reports, is that the Prince needed some help when it came to what was expected from puck drop.

According to San Jose NHL star Tomáš Hertl, who spoke about the experience of meeting Harry after the game: “I actually had to tell him.” [to drop the puck] because he keeps holding and smiling.

“I said, ‘It’s time to drop it.’ But it’s a cool moment. I’ll definitely remember that.’

Meanwhile, Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said his fist bump with the Royals was a little uncomfortable.

Greetings! During the outing in Vancouver, Prince Harry is seen shaking hands with Canucks’ Quinn Hughes

The King beamed as he dropped the puck before the game, just like his grandmother did in 2002

Before the game at Rogers Arena, Harry was seen joking with the players after entering the ice

He said, “I gave him a punch, I don’t know if you’re allowed to do that.” I did it, he did it. He kind of looked at me, but he did it.’

The Sussexes watched the game from the VIP box, where they were joined by local Indigenous leaders, British Columbia Premier David Eby and the region’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, Lana Popham.

And Harry and Meghan were not alone on their evening: they were accompanied by Markus Anderson.

Markus is a friend of Meghan’s from Toronto, whom she knows from the time she lived there and filmed “Suits.”

As chief membership officer of lifestyle chain Soho House, Markus helped organize Meghan’s first date with Harry in London and was described as the second most important man in her life after her British husband.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are photographed in their seats during the first phase of the hockey game

Meghan Markle (pictured) smiles as she takes her seat after an exciting moment in the ice hockey game

Meghan Markle celebrates the NHL game in Canada – a country that is very important to her and Harry since they got engaged there. Her boyfriend Markus Anderson is with her. He was the man who organized the Sussexes’ first date

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured) are seen in their box at Rogers Arena last night

It was Markus who arranged a private room at Soho House in London for the Montecito-based couple’s first date, while Meghan hosted a low-key bachelorette party at Soho Farmhouse in Chipping Norton, UK, before their 2018 wedding.

He originally invited her to Soho House when she was still working as a TV soap actress in Toronto, and it was Markus who facilitated all of Harry and Meghan’s early dates in London and Oxfordshire.

Harry and Meghan The sporting outing comes just days after Meghan’s surprise arrival at the Variety Power Of Women event in Los Angeles to celebrate the achievements of women in entertainment.

The former “Suits” actress said she is “thrilled” to have returned to entertainment with Archewell Productions and is “really proud” of the projects they have created so far, including the docuseries “Harry & Meghan.” ” and “Heart Of Invictus”.

The Duke and Duchess appeared on the jumbotron at Rogers Arena last night as the game was tied 0-0

The Duke of Sussex was seen explaining what happened in the game as his wife appeared confused

She also teased future projects, saying, “We have so many exciting things coming up… I can’t wait until we can announce them, but I’m just really proud of what we’re creating.” “My husband loves it too, which is really fun.”

Experts told MailOnline they believe the spate of high-profile appearances is a PR “tactic” to attract lucrative contracts and generate new enthusiasm for Meghan and her husband.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are here Canada for work to promote the next Invictus Games, to be held in Vancouver and Whistler in February 2025.

The Invictus Games will take place in Vancouver and Whistler in February 2025 and will include winter sports for the first time.

For the first time, adaptive winter sports such as alpine skiing, Nordic skiing and curling will be included in the program of week-long events and will be held in the resort town of Whistler.