The announcement came amid new guidance from King Charles on Harry and Meghan’s status — though PEOPLE understands the monarch encourages organizations and endeavors supporting wounded service personnel

NEED TO KNOW

• Uganda announced it is withdrawing from Prince Harry’s Invictus Games in a show of loyalty to King Charles, just two months after joining the Invictus community
• The move came one day after the King issued new guidance clarifying Harry and Meghan’s status and how official and state organizations should engage with them
• Amid the withdrawal, PEOPLE understands that Charles encourages organizations supporting wounded service personnel

A representative of the Ugandan government says the nation is pulling out of Prince Harry’s Invictus Games in a show of loyalty to King Charles, just one day after the monarch issued new guidance clarifying the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s status.

On Tuesday, Sept. 8, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and head of the country’s armed forces, announced that Uganda would withdraw from the Invictus Games, just two months after the African nation became the 26th country to join the Invictus community.

The announcement came one day after King Charles issued a letter clarifying the status of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle following their return to the U.K. The letter reiterated that the couple should not use their HRH styles and said that questions from official and state organizations about courtesies extended to them — particularly where public funds may be involved — should be directed to Buckingham Palace.

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

When reached for comment, the general told The Times in the U.K., “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.” 

However, amid the news of Uganda’s withdrawal, PEOPLE understands that King Charles encourages all organizations and endeavors that support wounded service personnel.

PEOPLE has reached out to both a representative for the Duke of Sussex and the Invictus Games Foundation for comment.

The withdrawal also comes amid renewed attention on the relationship between Harry and his father. Despite reports that the pair have not been in contact, a source tells PEOPLE that Harry and the King have spoken by phone since the Duke of Sussex returned to the U.K. last month. PEOPLE understands, however, that the father and son have not met in person since his return.

Uganda had only recently joined the Invictus community, becoming its 26th and newest member in July 2026 — a move intended to expand sports recovery opportunities for wounded and injured service personnel in the country.

“As part of its membership, the Foundation is working with partners in Uganda to help establish and strengthen opportunities for sports recovery, helping members of the community access sport and physical activity as part of their recovery,” it was announced on the Invictus website.

The move was backed by senior Ugandan military officials, including Staff Political Commissariat Major General Henry Masiko and Major General Richard Karemire, Joint Staff Formal Education, Sports and Culture.

“Success comes to those who are prepared. Let us not just go, but go with skill,” Major General Masiko said.

Uganda also received a donation of sports equipment as part of the initiative, including rowing machines, weights and strength-training equipment, sitting volleyball and pickleball equipment, archery equipment, athletics equipment and specialist gear.

“It is a vote of confidence in the resilience and potential of Uganda’s competitors,” Major General Karemire said.

Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014, modeled on the U.S.’s Warrior Games, with a stated mission to “inspire international communities through the power of the unconquered human spirit.”

The biennial adaptive sports competition allows more than 500 injured and disabled armed forces members to compete in wheelchair basketball and volleyball, skiing, curling, biathlon, swimming and more.

The Invictus Games were the scene of many milestones in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s relationship. Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, made their public debut as a couple at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, where she lived while filming Suits.

“There is nowhere you can feel more embraced and supported than with the Invictus family,” Prince Harry told PEOPLE exclusively in 2022. “The Toronto Games were our first time out and about publicly in an official way. We were dating at the time, so it was a lot to take in, but fortunately, we were with the perfect community for that.”

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Harry, Meghan and their children — Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5 — arrived in England on Aug. 26, just one week after announcing that they were relocating back to the U.K. for an extended period.

Their new life in Britain is also expected to bring renewed activity in charitable work for the couple, including Harry’s continued efforts with the Invictus Games, with the 2027 event being held in Birmingham.

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