Prince Harry source says country’s withdrawal from Invictus Games was a ‘consequence’ of King’s letter

A source close to Prince Harry has spoken out after Uganda withdrew from the upcoming Invictus Games, citing loyalty to King Charles and the British monarchy.

The move followed the release of a letter on behalf of the King, clarifying the status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as non-working royals following their recent return to the UK.

“Intended or unintended, this is clearly a consequence of the Lord Chamberlain’s guidance regarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that was rushed out without consultation on Monday,” the source told The Telegraph UK, with similar comments made to People.

“Sadly, the only people who will suffer are the Invictus Games competitors.”

Uganda announced its decision in a brief statement: “In order not to be construed as being opposed to His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom, whom we deeply revere, Uganda hereby withdraws from the Invictus Games.”

The decision was shared days after a letter was released on behalf of the King by Lord Chamberlain, clarifying Harry and Meghan’s status upon their return to the UK.

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It clarified the duke and duchess are “private citizens” who would not be undertaking any work on behalf of the monarchy.

“It is well known that in January 2020 the Duke and Duchess stepped down from undertaking representative duties on behalf of the Sovereign, and are no longer working members of the Royal Family,” the letter stated.

“The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity.”

Harry launched the Invictus Games in London in 2014; the next event will take place in Birmingham in the UK.

Twenty-six nations participate with or are associated with the Invictus Games, including countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. These include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Rwanda, and Uganda ahead of its recent withdrawal.

Hopes King Charles and other members of the British royal family would attend the Invictus Games in Birmingham in 2027 are rapidly fading in light of recent events.

Following the letter’s public release, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said they “were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance”, per multiple UK media outlets. It’s also understood the couple were not consulted on the contents of the letter.

The first Invictus Games in London in 2014 took place while Prince Harry was a full-time working royal. The event was attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla (then the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall), Prince William, Princess Eugenie and King Frederik of Denmark, when he was still Crown Prince.

Harry and Meghan famously debuted their relationship at the Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada in 2017.

There have been a total of seven Invictus Games to date, including London in 2014, Orlando, USA in 2016, Toronto, Canada in 2017, and Sydney, Australia in 2018.

Prince Harry and Meghan resigned as senior working royals in January 2020, almost two years after they married.

As non-working royals, the couple attended the Invictus Games in The Hague, Netherlands in 2022, Düsseldorf, Germany in 2023 and in Vancouver-Whistler, Canada for an inaugural hybrid winter adaptive sports edition in 2025.