Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s critics can’t seem to understand why the couple continues to travel the globe in what looks like a royal tour. Well, the answer is quite simple: the Invictus Games. The Sussexes have found success with the sporting event that offers “a recovery pathway for international wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women.” Countries are duking it out to host future games, but the naysayers don’t want to admit that Harry has a hit on his hands.
The popularity of the event doesn’t go unnoticed by the royal family either. In 2027, the Invictus Games will return to the U.K. for the first time since its launch in 2014 in London. Birmingham will be the host city and King Charles III is reportedly keeping it penciled in on his calendar. “I think he would acknowledge it would be a good thing to go to. He would not want to look punitive,” a source told The Times, via GB News. While the games are still three years away, Charles knows that the palace’s decision to skip the 10th-anniversary celebration in May looked petty.
“[Charles] is not going to throw the weight of the institution behind Invictus again,” a former royal staffer told The Daily Beast. “This all seems very logical inside the Palace bubble, but the trouble is that people who don’t particularly care about such things, who are dimly aware that the royals spend their days visiting community centers and opening supermarkets, are going to wonder why they are boycotting this terrific charity that is headed by the king’s son.”
Newsweek‘s chief royal correspondent Jack Royston told The Royal Report podcast in September 2023 that the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany show why Harry and Meghan remain popular outside the U.K. “Harry’s speech [at the games’ opening ceremony] I suppose, had this flash of optimism in it,” he explained. “And I think it’s one that shows a path for the couple to rebuild a little bit and do the job, but kind of the way they used to, you know doing it in the old-fashioned royal way.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex might be ruffling feathers at the palace, but the Invictus Games is hitting all of the right notes with global leaders. Harry and Meghan are making their passion project a massive brand name.
Before you go, click here to see more of Meghan Markle & Prince Harry’s milestones since leaving the royal family.
