Prince Harry has expressed his wish for King Charles to join him at the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham, as the father and son continue to mend their relationship. It is believed the organisers of the sporting event - founded by the Duke of Sussex to help injured veterans - are planning to invite the monarch to take part in either the opening or closing ceremony, while also hoping he will attend a range of sporting events to meet competitors.
It is understood that Harry will attend next year's Games, after he recently made a five-day trip to his home country to mark the official one-year countdown to the 2027 event. While in the UK, Harry, Meghan Markle and their children Archie and Lilibet reunited with the King and Queen in a private meeting at Highgrove - the first time Charles had seen his grandchildren in several years.
Bridging the rift
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States, where they spoke candidly about their time in the Royal Family, notably in their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, their 2022 Netflix docuseries and Harry's memoir, Spare, released in 2023. After King Charles's cancer diagnosis was made public in 2024, Harry expressed his wish to rekindle the relationship with his father. In September 2025, while in the UK for the WellChild Awards, he held a private meeting with the King at Clarence House - their first face-to-face meeting in 19 months.
Harry now believes having the King at the Invictus Games would be a further step in the right direction, while also adding weight to his fight for security when in the UK. One insider said: "Harry's intention is two fold. He would love the King's support at the Games, while having his father by his side would also add considerable weight to his argument for security for his family to accompany him on the trip." Another source said: "Next year is a big deal for Harry. He is determined that the Birmingham Games will be the best ever and it would mean the world to him to have his father there." A royal source suggested the King "would welcome the opportunity to see his grandchildren again".
A dilemma with William
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said supporting Harry presents Charles with a dilemma, as the King may be reluctant to be seen to side with one son over the other. She said: "It could become a classic case of a father having to choose between his warring sons. We can only imagine how William might feel if Charles publicly threw his support behind the games and Harry."
Bond added: "William has bitten his lip, risen above the accusations and knuckled down to the job, in spite of the brutal cancer diagnoses for both Catherine and Charles. To see his father stand on a very public platform and salute Harry's achievement would be tough. But that's the dilemma the King might face."
Invictus Games history
In January, a spokesperson for Invictus said: "The royal family have been longstanding supporters of the Invictus Games since its inception in 2014." They added: "While it is too early to confirm who will attend in 2027 as invitations have not yet been sent out, organisers of the Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 will issue invitations to members of the Royal Family in due course, and we would very much welcome their presence."
Harry launched the Invictus Games in London in 2014. The competition aims to challenge "perceptions of disability, champion adaptive sport, and demonstrate the resilience, determination and unconquered spirit of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans". It has since been held in Orlando, Toronto, Sydney, The Hague, Düsseldorf and Vancouver-Whistler, where the inaugural winter Games took place in 2025.
