Uganda has decided to withdraw its participation from the Invictus Games, the sporting competition for war veterans promoted by Prince Harry, out of respect for King Charles III. The announcement was made by General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, head of the country’s Defense Forces and son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who assured that Uganda will not participate in any event that does not have the approval of the British monarch.
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“So as not to be seen as opposed to His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom, whom we deeply revere, Uganda is withdrawing from the Invictus Games,” Kainerugaba wrote this Wednesday on X (formerly Twitter). “We will not participate in anything that does not have His Majesty’s approval.” Asked by The Times about the reasons for his decision, the general was even more forceful: “I have factions in the Ministry of Defense that support those nonsense of Harry and Meghan. I had to end it immediately. I support the monarch. Period.”
The decision comes just two days after Buckingham Palace formally reiterated that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain non-active members of the royal family despite their return to the United Kingdom. A letter sent by the Lord Chamberlain, the highest-ranking official of the British royal household, to representatives of the Government and the military confirmed that there has been no change in their status and that the Royal Highness styles to which they are entitled remain suspended and cannot be used.
The episode marks a turn in the relationship Uganda had maintained with the Invictus Games, an international adapted games created by Harry, whose personal association of sick or injured veterans participates in sports including wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, and indoor rowing.
Just two months ago, Ugandan Defense Minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka posed smiling alongside Prince Harry during an event related to the competition held in London. On July 7, during a ceremony at Chatham House, Uganda was presented as the twenty-sixth country to join the Games and as the first from East Africa. Harry then posed with the Ugandan representatives and held up a badge with the country’s name, which he jokingly lifted as if it were a frisbee, causing laughter among the attendees.
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The Duke of Sussex was in the United Kingdom at that time to participate for a week in various events aimed at commemorating that there was one year left until Birmingham hosted the Invictus Games, scheduled for next July. The competition was created by Harry in 2014 with the goal of contributing to the recovery of military personnel and veterans who have been injured or fallen ill. Uganda’s withdrawal now leaves the country’s participation in suspense, after its inclusion was officially announced this summer.
The announcement comes at a delicate moment for Harry and Meghan, who returned to the United Kingdom just two weeks ago to settle for an extended period. Uganda’s withdrawal thus adds to the growing attention on the Sussexes’ status and their relationship with the British crown.
The letter released this week specified that their charitable activity is a personal matter and that they carry it out privately, placing their position, in practical terms, as private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.
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