An official from one of the 26 countries involved in Prince Harry’s Invictus Games said he will withdraw his nation from the event mi because he ‘supports the monarch’
The military chief of Uganda revealed his country will pull-out of the Invictus Games due to “that Harry-Meghan nonsense”.
Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games as an international sport event for wounded, injured and sick armed forces personnel. The Duke of Sussex’s event has faced a huge blow after one of the participating countries said it will withdraw from the games as it “does not have His Majesty’s approval”.
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the head of Uganda’s armed forces and the President’s son, announced the surprise decision in a social media post on Wednesday.
On X, he wrote: “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. We shall not participate in anything that does not have His Majesty’s approval.”
General Kainerugaba, speaking to The Times, said he made the decision to withdraw Uganda from the Invictus Games due to his support for King Charles.
He said: “I have factions in the Ministry of Defence that support that Harry-Meghan nonsense. I had to quash it straight away. I support the monarch. Period.”
This comes just two months after Uganda announced it would be the 26th nation to join the Invictus Community and participated in the 2027 event in Birmingham.
In July, Uganda’s Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, the Rt Hon Kiwanuka, said: “We are honoured to join a network that recognizes the transformative power of sport in rehabilitation, recovery, resilience, and reintegration.
“We are grateful to the leadership of the Invictus Games Foundation for their confidence in Uganda and for partnering with us to develop sustainable programmes for our veterans and serving personnel. Their support marks a new chapter for our servicemen and women. We are proud to join now and we look forward to competing in future Games.”
Uganda’s defence minister was pictured alongside Prince Harry in July at an event to announce the nation joined the Games.
Defence Minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka thanked the Duke, at the Chatham House ceremony, for “championing our team’s entry”.
This comes after King Charles issued a letter, to more than 100 stakeholders, which set out guidelines on the status of Harry and Meghan. The King said the couple will be treated as “private citizens” and should not use their HRH styles.
It was reported that the Sussexes have taken issue with this label. The couple prefer the term “public figures” and would have liked an acknowledgement that they remain members of the royal family, according to The Telegraph.
The Mirror has reached out to the Invictus Games Foundation and representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.
Source: Mirror
