Uganda has backflipped on its move to pull out of the Duke of Sussex’s Invictus Games following a phone call from King Charles.
The African nation’s move comes a week after it initially withdrew from the Prince’s games, held for injured veterans, citing the King’s letter which clarified Harry and Meghan’s status as “private citizens”.
At the time Ugandan military chief General Muhoozi Kainerugaba described the royal saga as “Meghan and Harry nonsense”.
Sign up to The Nightly’s newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.
But The Sun now reports that the General, who is also the President’s son, has since declared via X that following a phone call with the King, Uganda will be back in the Games.
In the lengthy statement on X, Gen. Kainerugaba said he “appreciated the King’s message and clarity provided by Buckingham Palace on the subject, promising that the UPDF would resume preparations to participate in the upcoming games.”
The Sun reported that royal sources cited the resolution as working in line with earlier instructions outlined in the letter which denoted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as “private citizens” and no longer working royals.
The letter, which Prince Harry and Mehgan claim to have been blindsided by, stated that any organisation which needed clarity on how to treat the Sussexes, whose titles are still in abeyance as part of their 2020 decision to step back from the royal family, should contact Buckingham Palace.
Sources within the Sussex camp had blamed Uganda’s decision to withdraw from the Invictus Games last week on King Charles letter, particularly after General Kainerugaba declared that his country would not participate without “His Majesty’s approval”.
The pair stepped back from royal duties in 2020 when they moved to North America to make their own living through lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify.
At the time, Queen Elizabeth II made clear that the couple could not be part-time royals and they had to give up their royal positions if they wanted to pursue such commercial arrangements. Charles reiterated that position after he became king in 2022.
The couple’s shocked reaction to the King’s letter, which confirms that their status remains unchanged, highlights tensions surrounding their return to the UK. Some palace observers have expressed concern that Harry and Meghan’s presence in Britain could allow them to establish a sort of parallel royal court that would compete with working members of the royal family.
