Uganda to withdraw from Invictus Games ‘out of respect for King Charles’, says military chief

Original article by Caroline Davies

Uganda is withdrawing from the Duke of Sussex’s Invictus Games, the country’s military chief has said, out of respect for King Charles amid division over the “Harry-Meghan nonsense”.

Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of the Ugandan president, made the surprise announcement in a post on X on Wednesday.

Kainerugaba wrote: “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. We shall not participate in anything that does not have His Majesty’s approval.”

The timing of the post suggests it may be in response to an official letter to UK senior government and military officials on behalf of Charles that reiterated the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not working royals and would not use their HRH styles.

When asked by the Times about what had motivated the move, Kainerugaba is reported to have 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.”

The news, first reported by the Uganda Pulse news website, will be a blow to Harry, who two months ago stood alongside Uganda’s defence minister, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, at an Invictus Games event in London to announce that the East African nation would be the 26th country to enter the multisport event for wounded service personnel.

At the time, Kiwanuka praised the Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni for his “visionary leadership” and Kainerugaba, a Sandhurst graduate, for “championing our team’s entry”, adding that their support “marks a new chapter for our servicemen and women”.

The Ugandan government spokesperson Alan Kasujja confirmed to the BBC: “Gen Kainerugaba decides whether or not the UPDF [Uganda People’s Defence Force] participates in the Invictus Games. What you saw is his stated position. If it changes, he will let the world know.”

The decision to withdraw may be an unintended consequence of the official letter, issued on Monday by the head of the royal household, the lord chamberlain, Richard Benyon, at Charles’s behest, clarifying the position of the Sussexes after their return to the UK two weeks ago.

The letter directed that the couple were “no longer working members of the royal family”, that their charitable work “is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity” and “their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests”.

Kainerugaba was appointed army chief in 2024 and is widely seen as his 81-year-old father’s successor to the presidency. He has made several provocative posts on X, including threats to invade neighbouring Kenya, demands that Jay-Z hand over his wife, Beyoncé, so he could marry her, and threats against Bobi Wine, Museveni’s principal political rival.

The Invictus Games and representatives for the Duke of Sussex have been approached for comment.