King Charles III should go to Prince Harry‘s Invictus Games when he brings the event to Britain, a royal expert told Newsweek.
The monarch, 75, will have a difficult decision to make when his younger son takes the Invictus Games to Birmingham, a city in England’s Midlands region, in July 2027.
There will inevitably be questions over whether Charles will go, as there were in May, when he didn’t attend a service of thanksgiving in honor of Invictus at St Paul’s Cathedral in central London.
The games will go on for two weeks, giving the king plenty opportunities to attend, so his absence and a perceived lack of support would be conspicuous.
Afua Hagan, a prominent U.K. royal commentator, told Newsweek: “Charles should 100 percent go because it’s not about Prince Harry and the falling out or anything else.
“It’s just about wounded veterans. When we’re discussing Invictus it often gets lost, but its about those veterans. It’s about the power of sport.
“When we look at how wounded veterans are regarded and treated I honestly think we should do much, much better by them. I mean, some of them have literally given their health to their country.
“Some of them have given the best of themselves to their country. They must be much better regarded.”
However, she did have some concerns about whether Birmingham, Britain’s second-largest city with a population of more than 1 million, could afford to host only a year after it declared itself effectively bankrupt due in part to the cost and distraction of hosting the Commonwealth Games in summer of 2022.
“If Birmingham can afford it then I think it’s great, but look what happened to Birmingham when they hosted the Commonwealth Games,” Hagan said. “It literally went bankrupt and that is my concern.
“I think the Invictus Games is a brilliant thing, I think it’s going to be amazing to see it in Birmingham I think its great that Harry’s bringing it home. But my only point is budget.”
The Invictus Games announced Birmingham as its future host city last week after a two-way battle with Washington, D.C.
The move was significant as Harry appears to have passed up the opportunity to bring the tournament to his new home country, cementing his relationship with U.S. veterans.
However, he instead chose to bring the Paralympics-style event for wounded veterans to a country where YouGov polling in August 2023 gave him a net favorability rating of -36 and Meghan of -47.
One other point of potential tension is the recurring allegation fired at the Sussexes by their critics that their events “upstage” or “overshadow” royal events.
Two weeks of wall-to-wall Harry and Meghan coverage would leave the royals with a headache over their own public visits during that time.
However, Harry could largely spare them the angst if he chooses to hold the games at the very end of July, by which time the royals will have begun winding down their public visits and Charles will be preparing to spend August at Balmoral in Scotland.
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about Charles and Queen Camilla, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
