First appearance together for Harry and Meghan Markle

Video caption, WATCH: Harry and Meghan hold hands

Prince Harry and his girlfriend Meghan Markle have appeared holding hands in public for the first time.

They were seen at the Invictus Games, an international sporting event set up by the prince for injured soldiers.

The couple have mostly avoided the spotlight, but made their first public appearance together at the opening ceremony in Toronto.

Ms Markle sat away from Harry during the ceremony, when he was accompanied by US First Lady Melania Trump.

They were seen holding hands as they arrived for the wheelchair tennis event on Monday afternoon.

The prince and Ms Markle, an actress best known for her role in US TV series Suits, have been dating since July 2016.

In a recent she said of the relationship: "We're two people who are really happy and in love.

"We were very quietly dating for about six months before it became news, and I was working during that whole time, and the only thing that changed was people's perception."

Image source, Reuters

Image caption, The couple watched the wheelchair tennis at the games

Harry set up the Invictus Games in 2014 with the aim of helping wounded service personnel and veterans with their physical and psychological rehabilitation.

That year the games were held in London, before heading to Florida in 2016.

This year's games are taking place in Toronto, Canada. Teams from 17 nations, made up of over 500 participants, will take part during the week-long event.

The athletes compete in 11 different sports, including archery and wheelchair basketball.