The Duke of Sussex shared an emotional moment with TV star Alison Hammond

Prince Harry has been captured sharing a passionate embrace with a TV star at the Invictus Games One Year To Go countdown.

Hosted at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), the Duke of Sussex attended on his own after Meghan Markle withdrew from the event at the eleventh hour.

Not to dampen his spirits, Harry competed in a high-stakes Laser Run, where he shot a laser gun at a target before sprinting towards the finish line.

The prince was joined at the event this morning by an exuberant Alison Hammond, reporting live for ITV.

Ms Hammond joined the royal for the Laser Ru, along with former Labour minister Al Carns.

As Harry celebrated his racing achievement, he joined the TV reporter, who could not contain her emotions.

Ms Hammond embraced the prince with an excitable hug, leaving Harry wide-eyed by her enthusiasm.

As the duke walked away, the Birmingham-based presenter let out a squeamish dance to celebrate her embrace with him, while Harry looked back with a smirk on his face.

Harry's morning was action-packed in Birmingham. Firstly, he was reunited with friend and former Invictus Games competitor, Dave Henson, for a game of pickleball.

Being one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, pickleball is one of three new events introduced to the 2027 Games programme, held in Birmingham.

Harry and Mr Henson shared a heartwarming moment, as the duke both pulled a funny face and shook hands with his friend.

Mr Henson is a former Captain in the Royal Engineers, and lost his right leg above the knee and left leg through the knee in Afghanistan in 2011.

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At the inaugural Invictus Games 2014, held in London, he captained Team UK and won gold in both the 200m sprint and sitting volleyball.

His success transcended into the Paralympics, where he won bronze in the 200m at Rio 2016.

While the prince competed in a variety of other events with a broad smile on his face, such as wheelchair rugby, Harry's return to the UK has been far from smooth-sailing.

His wife, Meghan, was expected to join him in Birmingham this afternoon, until she pulled out of the event last night.

The Duchess of Sussex had already withdrawn from a scheduled appearance with her husband at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London on Wednesday and it was revealed over the weekend that their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, would not join Harry in London.

The Telegraph reports, however, that Meghan, 44, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, will come to Britain this week, despite not making any public appearances.

It leaves the opportunity for the youngsters to reunite with their estranged grandfather wide open.