By Molly Claire Goddard
2:10pm PST, Jan 29, 2026
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Amid reports that Prince Harry wants King Charles III to open the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham with him, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams thinks the Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle are putting the family in an awkward situation. “The Games are a major dilemma for the royals and it’s a dilemma that the Sussexes have created themselves,” she told The Mirror. “Because Harry founded the Invictus Games, it’s up to him — although maybe not officially — what happens with it.”
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Luckily for King Charles III, he may have an excuse to miss the July ceremony. “The end of the event clashes with Queen Camilla’s 80th birthday, but that isn’t a reason for Charles not to open the Games if he intends to, and there is a very good case for him doing so because he is Head of the Armed Forces and it’s a major military charity event,” Richard Fitzwilliams said.
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While it’s unclear if any members of Prince Harry’s relatives will attend, they have excellent reason not to. “At the moment, though, it’s completely unclear how the royal family is going to respond, given the Sussexes [Harry and Meghan Markle] put three nuclear bombs under Buckingham Palace with Spare, the Oprah Winfrey interview and their Netflix series,” Richard Fitzwilliams said.
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Although there’s a hope of a reconciliation between Prince Harry, King Charles III and the British public, Prince William won’t be making amends with his brother. “The Sussexes are probably hoping to alter public opinion, but I don’t think William’s opinion of them and what they have done can be altered,” Richard Fitzwilliams said. “So, the King’s outlook might differ from William’s when it comes to Harry, but he would never put William in a situation that he’d find publicly awkward.”