Harry and Meghan Reportedly Upset After King Charles Letter Sparks Uganda’s Invictus Games Exit

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly frustrated following a formal letter from King Charles III reaffirming their status as non-working members of the royal family, a development that has since triggered a diplomatic ripple effect after Uganda withdrew from Harry’s 2027 Invictus Games in a show of loyalty to the monarch.

The letter, sent on behalf of the King by the Lord Chamberlain, was issued Monday, Sept. 7, to senior officials across the U.K. government, military and Lord-Lieutenancies, as well as to the Duke of Sussex’s own team. It reiterated that Harry and Meghan remain non-working royals and clarified that their charitable and commercial activities are undertaken in a private capacity.

What the letter said

According to the text of the letter, it has been “well known” since January 2020 that the Duke and Duchess “stepped down from undertaking representative duties on behalf of The Sovereign, and are no longer working Members of The Royal Family.” The letter went on to state that the couple’s position “is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests,” and that this arrangement would “continue to be fully respected.”

The letter also noted that the couple’s royal titles remain “in abeyance and are not used,” and it directed officials to route any questions about privileges the couple might request — particularly those involving public funds — to Buckingham Palace.

A surprise to the Sussexes

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess said the couple was caught off guard by the letter, which arrived roughly two weeks after Harry and Meghan relocated back to the United Kingdom following nearly six years living in California. According to reporting on the matter, the couple was not informed in advance of the letter’s contents, and by the time their office was contacted, the document had already been circulated to its intended recipients.

The Sussexes have also indicated a preference for a different label than the one used in the King’s letter. Rather than being described as “private citizens,” the couple reportedly wants to be characterized as “public figures,” a distinction that speaks to ongoing tension over how their post-royal identity should be defined now that they are living back in Britain.

Uganda’s withdrawal from the Invictus Games

The fallout from the letter extended beyond the royal family’s internal affairs this week when Uganda announced it was pulling out of Harry’s Invictus Games, the international sporting competition for wounded, injured and sick military personnel that Harry co-founded in 2014.

General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s military chief and the son of President Yoweri Museveni, announced the decision Wednesday in a post on social media platform 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. “We shall not participate in anything that does not have His Majesty’s approval.”

Speaking separately to The Times, Kainerugaba was more direct about his motivations. “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,” he said.

The withdrawal came as a surprise to organizers, given that Uganda had only recently joined the competition. The country was welcomed as the 26th nation in the Invictus community, and the first from East Africa, during a ceremony at Chatham House on July 7, 2026, just two months before its announced exit. The Invictus Games are scheduled to take place in Birmingham in July 2027.

A spokesperson for the Invictus Games Foundation told People magazine that, despite the public statement, Uganda had not yet formally notified organizers through official channels. “The Invictus Games Foundation has not received formal notification from Uganda through our established channels and is seeking clarification,” the spokesperson said. “We remain committed to supporting wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans around the world.”

A long-standing relationship between Uganda and the Crown

Uganda’s ties to the British monarchy stretch back generations. The country was a British protectorate until gaining independence in 1962, and the late Queen Elizabeth II made her final visit there in 2007 for a Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Kampala, a trip Charles, then Prince of Wales, joined her on. Following the Queen’s death in 2022, President Museveni publicly praised Charles as “our good friend in the conservation of nature” and later sent congratulations on his coronation, citing the “brotherly and cordial relations” between the two nations.

A broader pattern of strain

The Invictus Games withdrawal is the latest in a string of developments that have followed the Sussexes’ return to the U.K. Some commentary on the situation has suggested that Harry’s public response to the King’s letter, in which he reportedly voiced frustration, may have compounded tensions rather than eased them. Broadcaster Angela Levin, discussing the matter publicly, criticized the Duke for what she characterized as an unhelpful reaction to the letter, arguing it risked further complicating both his relationship with his father and the reputation of the Invictus Games itself.

Buckingham Palace has not issued additional public commentary beyond the original letter, and the Invictus Games Foundation has said it is still seeking formal confirmation of Uganda’s decision. Meanwhile, questions remain about how Harry and Meghan’s return to permanent life in the U.K. will continue to intersect with their standing within the royal family, particularly as more countries and institutions navigate the delicate balance between supporting the couple’s charitable work and avoiding the appearance of taking sides in an increasingly public family dispute.