Harry & Meghan Reportedly Blamed This 2027 Invictus Games Shakeup On King Charles
Every royal fan knew that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's big return to the U.K., in August 2026, was bound to produce some piping hot royal tea, and predictably, the Sussexes (and the monarchy at large) have delivered in fine fashion. September 2026 brought with it a squabble over the 2027 Invictus Games, which is Harry's brainchild. The Games are set to be held in Birmingham in July 2027, but the prince's plans hit a snag when Uganda's General Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced that his country was withdrawing from the event.
Notably, this came a mere two days after King Charles III's letter, which reiterated that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are private citizens rather than working royals. Kainerugaba took to X to confirm that Ugandans would not be participating in any event not approved by His Majesty. Cue the drama. ITV's Chris Ship also reported on X that a Sussex source disclosed to the outlet, "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."
Sources similarly told Heatworld that the king's letter had the duchess's blood boiling. "Meghan is furious over it. She has no intention of allowing the palace to push her aside or treat her as though she is no longer important," they claimed (via Express). The Invictus Games drama fizzled out after Charles' principal private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, made some calls to reassure the Ugandan government that the king was happy for them to participate. Sources confirmed to Closer Weekly that this was a gesture of goodwill towards Harry, noting, "Charles is ready and willing to see this all from a very fair perspective and do what he feels is the right thing."
There are many rumored reasons about why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the U.S. Regardless of their intentions, the royal couple's homecoming appears to have become a bit of a headache for King Charles III. While Harry and Meghan have one major priority amid their U.K. return — the wellbeing of their two children — they have reportedly also burned the king's ear off with grievances. "There's been a steady stream of complaints coming from the Sussex camp, along with plenty of demands; there's a huge sense of entitlement and a reluctant acceptance that no lessons were really learned," an insider dished to Closer Weekly.
Additionally, sources shared that the monarch is none too pleased with stories in the media that he believes have been planted by the Sussexes in an attempt to "control the narrative." In an opinion piece Emily Wright penned for Express, she pointed out that Harry and Meghan's return to the U.K. poses many challenges for Charles, given that he now has to figure out how to handle non-working and former senior royals going about their public business on British soil. They don't represent the palace, but the public still connects them to The Firm, and probably always will.
"It forces foreign observers and the British public to ask who actually represents the crown," Wright argued, "The working royals who are bound by constitutional duty, or the self-styled celebrity non-working royals down the road?" Meanwhile, royal biographer Omid Scobie, who has historically written about the royal defectors in a favorable light, professed in the documentary "Harry & Meghan: The Return of the Prince" that Charles feels some "warmth" towards the Sussexes amid their return, per the Daily Mail.
