The Duchess of Sussex will be joining her husband at the Invictus Games next month, a representative for the couple has confirmed.
Meghan Markle is expected to miss the opening ceremony and join her husband Prince Harry later at the sporting event, which was founded by the duke in 2014 for wounded military personnel and veterans. This year’s event will be taking place in Düsseldorf, Germany, from 9 September for eight days.
Royal commentator Omid Scobie said in a tweet shared on Wednesday (24 August) that a spokesperson for the couple has confirmed the pair are “delighted to be attending” the sporting event next month.
Scobie said: “A spokesperson confirms that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are ‘delighted to be attending’ the Invictus Games 2023 in Düsseldorf next month.
“Harry will be there from the start and Meghan will join him later on in the competition. They’ll both be at the closing ceremony.”
The Independent has contacted representatives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.
Prince Harry set up the Invictus Games to use sport to inspire recovery and support rehabilitation for wounded, injured or sick veterans. The word “invictus” means “unconquered”, which is named to represent the tenacity of the wounded, injured and sick service personnel. This year, the sixth Invictus Games will be held in Germany following previous editions in London, Sydney and Toronto.
Meghan typically attends the event with her husband after she made her debut appearance at the games in 2017.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pictured in September 2022 as they attend the town hall for the Invictus Games one year ahead of the Düsseldorf event— (Getty Images for Invictus Games )
The news comes as Netflix prepares to release Heart of Invictus, a series that follows six people competing in the 2022 Invictus Games, on 30 August.
Two days prior to the sporting event on the 9 September, Harry will attend an award ceremony in the UK, where he will deliver a speech for the charity WellChild. He has been a patron of the charity for seriously ill children for 15 years. It is one of the few patronages he has kept after he and the Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020.
Meghan is expected to fly straight from California to Germany for the games and not accompany her husband to the UK.
Harry’s visit to the UK coincides with the first death anniversary of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who died on 8 September 2022. The King will be in Balmoral to mark the anniversary of his mother’s death, while Prince Harry is not expected to see any members of his family while he visits the UK for the WellChild awards ceremony on the 7 September.
The last time Harry was seen among the rest of his family was in May, when he attended his father’s coronation at Westminster Abbey. He was seated in the third row, two rows behind William and Kate Middleton, and left the ceremony promptly after it ended to fly back to Los Angeles Airport that same evening. He did not speak to the King, Queen Camilla, William or Kate at the event.
He was last in the UK in June, when he appeared at the High Court for his case against Mirror Group Newspapers. He entered the witness box to give evidence in an attempt to prove the newspaper group published stories about him using illegally obtained information.
According to The Telegraph, Harry’s return to the UK might mean he will have to ask Buckingham Palace for permission to stay in an apartment on one of the royal estates after the Sussexes were evicted from their UK residence, Frogmore Cottage, earlier this year.
Harry also has the option of staying with friends or in a hotel. He could also stay with his cousin Princess Eugenie at her and husband Jack Brooksbank’s residence, Ivy Cottage. The duke remains close with Eugenie and she has visited him and his family in the US several times.
