Touching scenes as Prince Harry meets some of Canada’s oldest veterans and kisses 91-year-old’s hand – as well as collecting yet another team’s baseball cap

Prince Harry has met some of Canada’s oldest veterans as he continues his so-called royal tour around Canada.

The Duke of Sussex has denied deliberately trying to upstage Prince William, who is in Brazil for the Earthshot award, by embarking on his own high-profile tour.

Today Prince Harry headed to Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital veterans’ centre, where he joined a group of Canadian war heroes for a creative arts class.

The center worked with veterans to help them express their stories, honor their service, and connect through art.

In one particularly touching photo, Harry is seen kissing the hand of 91-year-old Villa Shah.

He also painted poppies on an army helmet with Jim LaForce, a 101-year-old veteran who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, where he participated in the Battle of Normandy.

Harry also met Ed Marshall, who served in the air force and as a paratrooper during the war.

Speaking to veteran Brenda Reid, Harry asked what the veteran’s most memorable war story was; Ms Reid warned that ‘you can’t always believe the children’ when it comes to residents.

Prince Harry kisses the hand of 91-year-old Villa Shah during a visit to Sunnybrook Hospital’s veterans center in Toronto

Ms. Reid, 101, joined the Royal Canadian Navy and was posted to an all-female station in Nova Scotia during the Second World War.

As a humorous gift, Harry was presented with a Toronto Blue Jays hat.

The gift came after the prince found himself in hot water when he wore an LA Dodgers hat to their World Series baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays last week.

Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, who now live in Los Angeles, left many Canadians far from impressed when they wore hats.

Both have connections to Toronto that make these decisions surprising.

Markle lived and spent seven years in Toronto while filming Suits, the TV show that made her famous, and has regularly spoken about her relationship with the city.

‘This is like my home,’ he told Best Health magazine in 2015. ‘I didn’t know what to expect at first but everyone was so welcoming.’

Harry, meanwhile, trained with Canadian forces during his time in the military, and Canada is part of the Commonwealth, which was once under British rule.

Yesterday the Duke spent time with members of the Canadian Reserve Forces in Toronto and met with soldiers from two historic Army Reserve units.

The visits were made to highlight the important role the Reserve Forces play in Canada’s military capacity.

Harry chatted with soldiers from Canada’s Queen’s Own Rifles and the Royal Canadian Regiment.

Founded in 1860, the Queen’s Own Rifles is Canada’s oldest continuously serving infantry regiment.

Harry talks to senior Brenda Reid. The Duke asked what the veteran’s most memorable war story was and Ms Reid warned that ‘you can’t always believe the children’ when it comes to residents.

Harry was gifted a Toronto Blue Jays cap as a humorous gift after he was seen wearing an LA Dodgers cap during their game against the Toronto Blue Jays last week.

The Prince of Wales touched down in Rio de Janeiro on Monday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his environmental prize, the Earthshot Prize.

But as William began his first assignment at Sugarloaf Mountain, his younger brother’s office in California announced a trip to Canada this week ahead of the Memorial Service on Sunday.

The visit to Brazil marks a pivotal and personally significant moment for the heir to the throne, who fled the UK with his father after his uncle Andrew stripped him of all his titles and his home in Windsor.

Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter said the timing of Harry’s announcement was ‘inevitable, if not predictable’.

But a spokesman for the Duke of Sussex hit back, saying: ‘The events were planned almost a year ago.

‘The date for the main event, the dinner, is being determined by the charity, not Prince Harry.

‘The commemoration period traditionally covers November 1-11 and has been going on since 1918, that is, for more than 100 years. ‘He cannot choose to change these dates.’

The spokesman added: ‘We are always guided by the advice given to us by private security consultants and the event’s security team as to when we may announce such trips.

‘This visit, which has been planned for months, marks a return to a city that holds a special place in the Duke’s heart and hosted the Invictus Games in 2017.’

The British royal family was informed in advance of Harry’s plans for Canada; this is a sign that communication between the King and his youngest son is open again.

However, it appears that Harry and William are not speaking.

In an earlier statement, Harry’s team blamed the timing of his trip because he ‘does not have the same level of security and protection as other working members of the Royal Family’.

“This therefore means that the period in which we can release details of events is much shorter than it would be for His Majesty the King or the Prince of Wales,” his spokesman added.