Prince Harry hopes King Charles and Prince William will attend the Invictus Games when they are next held in the U.K., it has been claimed.
The Duke of Sussex is estranged from both his father, the King, and brother, Prince William, but recently said that he would like a reconciliation. The adaptive sports games that he set up in 2014 are reported to be a key moment, and it’s hoped by insiders that relations will have thawed enough for members of the royal family to join him at the 2027 events in Birmingham, England.
The Mail on Sunday quoted a source on June 22 calling it an “olive branch” and saying that Harry, 40, “agreed” that his family should be invited.
“Invictus hopes the royal family will come along to support the wounded veterans taking part. Harry is hopeful his father will set aside their differences to attend the Invictus Games and support veterans,” the source added.
“The royals have always been hugely supportive of Invictus and proud of what Harry has achieved in that arena. This is one olive branch from him which might be reciprocated,” they added.
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The newspaper said that invitations would be sent via email as soon as this summer, giving courtiers and others ample time to factor into any diary planning for the King, who is undergoing continued treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.
However, PEOPLE understands that invitations have not gone out to anyone, including members of the royal family, VIPs, supporters or sponsors. Any invitations would, in fact, come from the organizers of the Invictus Games Birmingham. It is unlikely that the royal family will have their diaries set for more than two years away.
The end of the next Invictus Games set for July 17, 2027 coincides with the 80th birthday of Queen Camilla.
The Duke of Sussex’s office had no comment.
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The report comes almost two months after Prince Harry gave a candid interview with the BBC in May after losing a legal appeal regarding his security in the U.K. There, he shared his wish for a rapprochement: “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”
It remains to be seen whether Harry will bring his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, with him to the U.K.
Prince Harry said in his BBC interview that, since losing his case over his automatic right to similar levels of security as that for senior members of the royal family, he doubted whether he would feel able to bring Meghan and the children with him to the country of his birth.
“You know, I love my country. I always have done despite what some people in that country have done. I miss the U.K. I miss parts of the U.K., of course I do,” Harry said. “I think that it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show, you know, my children my homeland.”
In another report over the weekend, The Times claimed that William doesn’t talk about his brother anymore and is in a “healthier space” about the estrangement.
The 2027 iteration of the Invictus Games will be the eighth time it has taken place since the inaugural event in 2014. The event has traveled from London (2014), to Orlando (2016), Toronto (2017), Sydney (2018), The Hague (2022—postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic), and then to Düsseldorf (September 2023), and Vancouver and Whistler in February 2025.
