The Royal Family could be put in a ‘difficult position’ if Prince Harry‘s Invictus Games returns to the UK for the first time since he and Meghan moved to the US.
A question that would need to be answered is whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, move into their old grace-and-favour home Frogmore Cottage for the duration of the games.
Senior royals would also need to take a stand on if they support the event, which they did at the first games in 2014 when then-Prince Charles, Camilla, and Prince William appeared alongside Harry for the opening ceremony, The Telegraph reports.
But at the time, he was a full-time working royal – and any tensions and spats were not aired in public, as they are so often these days.
Since 2014, the Invictus Games have become a popular global sports competition which 22 countries and more than 500 athletes have been involved with.
Prince Harry and Meghan at day four of Invictus Games 2023 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany
Prince William, Prince Charles and Prince Harry watching the athletics at the inaugural Invictus Games, at Lee Valley Athletics Centre on September 11, 2014
The games in Düsseldorf, Germany last year saw Team UK’s 59 sportsmen and women win 69 medals between them.
The Royal Family has not made a public statement on the Invictus Games for several years, despite its growing importance globally.
The yearly sports event is one of the most public engagements for the Sussexes, but it returning the UK could prove a challenge for them.
It is an incredibly important piece of work for Prince Harry and one of his last remaining legacies from when he was a full-time working Royal – and one which he feels very proud of. The games also allow him to reconnect with fellow military veterans.
But last month Harry lost a High Court challenge against the Home Office over a decision to downgrade his taxpayer-funded personal security when he visits Britain.
The Duke of Sussex took legal action over the move by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) after being told he would no longer be given the ‘same degree’ of publicly funded protection when in the UK.
His lawyers had claimed he was ‘singled out’ and treated ‘less favourably’ in the February 2020 decision by the body, which falls under the Home Office’s remit.
But at a hearing in London in December, the Government insisted Harry’s claim should be dismissed, arguing Ravec was entitled to conclude the duke’s protection should be ‘bespoke’ and considered on a ‘case-by-case’ basis. Two months later, retired High Court judge Sir Peter Lane ruled: ‘The application for judicial review is refused.’
While Harry plans to appeal, this means that he will not be expect a high level of security and must use his own private protection.
The Duke of Sussex and Michael Buble curling at the final day of the One Year to Go Event before the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 on February 16 2024
Harry and Meghan attend the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistlers 2025’s One Year To Go Winter Training Camp on February 15
Duke of Sussex greets a Denmark team competitor as he attends the track and field at the athletics track during day two of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 on September 11, 2023
Unless he can successfully appeal the ruling, the Duke of Sussex would not feel comfortable bringing his wife and their children, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two, to Britain, The Telegraph understands.
The paper reported that plans are being made for him to return to the UK alone in May for a service at St Paul’s Cathedral in honour of the Invictus Games 10th anniversary.
It is not known if senior royals would support the games coming back to Britain, and they have more important things to worry about at the moment with both King Charles and Princess Kate going through treatment for cancer.
Prince William and Kate were key figures in establishing the games and were reportedly ‘delighted that it has been a success’.
Given current disagreements in the Royal Family, it is perhaps not likely that the Waleses will watch the games with the Sussexes.
But they could maybe be joined by Mike and Zara Tindall, who took part in a wheelchair rugby match with Harry at the inaugural London 2014 Invictus Games.
The UK will need to win a bid against Washington DC to host the games, and the Government has pledged £26million to get it going.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry laugh during the Invictus Games Opening Ceremony on September 10, 2014 in London
Veterans minister Johnny Mercer co-hosted a symposium in London to get further private finance to help with the bid to hold the games in Birmingham in 2027.
He commended the power of the Invictus games and of sport to transform the lives of those injured by service in body and mind’.
Mr Merer added: ‘The vision the Duke of Sussex had to see that a decade ago had almost single-handedly transformed the lives of thousands of veterans, not only in the UK but globally, with up to 22 nations now involved in this incredible legacy. So yes, I want the Games.
‘I want the Games because you actually have to be there to feel that incredible transformative power of the Invictus Games in these people’s lives being built.’