Royal Family set 'to snub' Prince Harry's Invictus Games appearance as Meghan Markle also avoids UK

It’s reported ‘no senior members of the Royal Family’ will join Prince Harry at the Invictus Games event in London in a matter of days, with Meghan Markle also set to snub the occasion

According to reports, “no senior members of the Royal Family” will join Prince Harry at the UK Invictus Games event in May, as Meghan Markle also avoids appearance.

The Duke of Sussex, who stepped back from the Royal Family alongside his wife Meghan Markle in 2020, was yesterday confirmed to be attending the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, on Wednesday, May 8. The event is taking place in order to mark the 10th anniversary of the games that the Duke founded in 2014.

Prince Harry, 39, will fly back to his homeland of the United Kingdom in a matter of days for the event, without his wife accompanying him. An announcement on the Invictus Games’ social media platforms stated: “The Invictus Games Foundation will celebrate 10 years of changing lives and saving lives with a ‘Service of Thanksgiving’ at St Paul’s Cathedral on May 8th. We will be joined by our Patron, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, actor Damian Lewis and members of the worldwide Invictus Community to mark the occasion.”

Prince Harry will return to the UK very soon (
Image:
PA)
There has been no mention of Meghan Markle attending the event, which comes just two days after the fifth birthday of the couple’s son Prince Archie. And as well as no mention of Meghan attending, there has been no mention of any senior royals attending either.

While there has been no mention of other royals attending the Invictus event, there has been no mention of any plans for Harry to meet with his family either. Offices for the Sussexes and Buckingham Palace have not confirmed any plans for Harry to meet with either his brother Prince William, sister-in-law Princess Kate, or his father King Charles.

The Invictus Games, which were initiated by Prince Harry in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence, kicked off their inaugural event in London from 10 to 14 September 2014. The next games will take place in 2025 in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada. It will be the first to include winter adaptive sports, such as alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, skeleton and wheelchair curling.

Harry attending the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday, May 8, comes after reports that he might have chosen to not attend the event after losing his security battle against the Home Office earlier this year and citing his concerns over his safety in the UK. It was rumored he could choose to appear at the upcoming Thanksgiving service via video link or a pre-recorded message, rather than attending in person.