Uganda’s military chief has announced that the country will withdraw from Prince Harry’s Invictus Games, announcing it will not participate in an event without King Charles’ approval.
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of the Ugandan president and head of the country’s armed forces, revealed the news in a post on X.
“In order not to be construed as being opposed to His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom, whom we deeply revere, Uganda hereby withdraws from the Invictus Games,” Kainerugaba wrote on the social media platform.
He added: “We shall not participate in anything that does not have His Majesty’s approval.”
According to the Times, when asked about the motives behind his announcement, Kainerugaba said: “I have factions in the Ministry of Defence that support that Harry-Meghan nonsense. I had to quash it straight away. I support the monarch. Period.”
Photo: © Getty Images for the Invictus Games
The news came two months after Uganda’s Defence Minister appeared alongside Harry at an Invictus event in London to announce the country’s entry to the Games.
On July 7 in London, Uganda was officially welcomed as the 26th Invictus community nation and the very first from East Africa.
The Invictus Games, Harry’s tournament for wounded service personnel, will be held in Birmingham in July next year, and Harry is understood to want the King to open the event.
Photo: © Samir Hussein/WireImage
Harry and the King latest
This comes amid confusion over the Duke and the King’s relationship since he landed in the UK.
Recent headlines elsewhere have suggested that Harry and Charles had not yet spoken following Harry’s move back to Britain.
Australian royal reporter Bronte Coy also revealed on The Morning Show on Wednesday that her sources had confirmed direct contact between the father and son.
“I can tell you, actually, just from this morning, I’ve heard. They haven’t met face to face yet. But my understanding is that they have spoken on the phone,” she said. The claim contradicts some reports that the King and his youngest son had yet to be in direct contact. The King was at Balmoral, his holiday home in Scotland, at the time that his youngest son returned to the UK.
