As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle make their final public royal engagements and prepare to transition away from royal duties starting in April, one event is still on the books: the 2020 Invictus Games, started by Prince Harry in 2015.
This year, the Invictus Games, a charitable sports competition for wounded military personnel, will be held at the Hauge in The Netherlands in May.
However, according to a royal source cited by The Sun reporter Brittany Vonow in an article published Saturday, Prince William, as well as Kate Middleton, are unlikely to attend this year's competition.
The source, who was also quoted in the Daily Mail, said that Prince William had not been planning to attend the Invictus Games even prior to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's announcements about their departure from royal duties.
"William had not been expected to attend even before the news broke about Harry and Meghan's decision to step away from public life," a source was quoted in The Sun. "So it is highly unlikely that he and Kate will be a part of the event in any way."
The source added that Prince William missing his brother Prince Harry's philanthropic event should not be seen as "a snub."
The source continued: "But it isn't a snub. The entire royal family remains hugely supportive and very proud of Harry's work on Invictus and think it is a wonderful event."
Prince Harry and Prince William previously denied rumors that circulated in the British media which falsely claimed that Harry was "bullied" out of the family by his older brother.
In January, a spokesperson for the brothers told Daily Mail Royal Correspondent Rebecca English: "Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge. For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful."
In an ITV documentary that aired in October 2019, Prince Harry opened up about his relationship with Prince William, saying that the two were "on different paths" but that they'd always support each other.
"Part of this role and part of this job, this family, being under the pressure that it's under, inevitably stuff happens," Prince Harry said in the documentary. "But look, we're brothers, we'll always be brothers. We're certainly on different paths at the moment but I'll always be there for him and as I know he'll always be there for me."
Prince Harry continued: "We don't see each other as much as we used to because we're so busy, but I love him dearly. The majority of this stuff is created out of nothing, but as brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days."
Representatives for Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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