Prince Harry's Invictus Games has landed a big-money sponsorship deal with Amazon for next year's event. The Duke of Sussex will host the competition in Birmingham, which needs a £20 million cash injection to cover costs.
A-list connections credited for deal
While the sponsorship is a significant achievement for the Invictus Games, it has been claimed that the Duke had to use his A-list network to secure the deal. A source has claimed that Harry used his connections with Kris Jenner, a close friend of his wife Meghan Markle, who is also a good friend of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The source told Rob Shuter's Naughty But Nice Substack that Kris, who attended Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez's wedding, is close with the couple and therefore helped secure the deal.
The insider said: "Kris didn't just know both sides — she had their trust. Meghan needed help. Kris had Lauren's ear, and Lauren had Jeff's. One conversation led to another, and suddenly Amazon was at the table."
Invictus Games in Birmingham
The competition next year, which will be held in Birmingham between July 10 and July 17, will "welcome 550 wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, and their families, from 25 nations".
The Invictus Games are believed to be one of Prince Harry's biggest passion projects, founded by the duke in 2014 when he was still a working royal. It is believed he was inspired by his own experience serving in the army, including tours in Afghanistan.
The aim of Invictus is to inspire recovery and showcase the resilience of the Invictus community, which consists of ex-servicemen and women. A representative for Prince Harry has been contacted for comment.
