Last week, Prince Harry went solo (no Meghan) for the Invictus Games One Year to Go events in Birmingham, England. Those events followed several days of the Windsors going out of their way to disrupt and humiliate Harry’s visit. He still turned up in Birmingham with a smile on his face, even bringing his ginger sunshine to a lovely and impromptu interview with Alison Hammond on the ground at the Invictus event. The Windsors completely ignored the OYTG events and did not mark them in any way, even on social media. That’s how mad they all are about Invictus specifically. For years now, the Windsors and their media allies have been campaigning to “take over” Invictus and somehow get Harry kicked off of the organization he founded. The Mail’s Richard Eden has openly suggested that Invictus needs “another royal patron.” Tom Sykes has been platforming unhinged “sources” discussing the need to “make some decisions” about removing Harry as patron. Well, these people are still trying.
Prince Harry’s trip to the U.K. was bumpy to say the least, but ongoing drama surrounding him begs the question—Is Prince Harry the Invictus Games? The Duke of Sussex was in the U.K. last week to raise £25 million from corporates and private sponsors for the 2027 Birmingham Invictus Games; however, issues arose when it was revealed that Harry’s invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace was rescinded days before he arrived.
His spokesperson said the offer was “withdrawn” after Harry accepted the palace’s invitation on July 4, according to People Magazine. During his trip, Harry suffered a significant legal loss in his privacy case against the publisher of the Daily Mail in what he called “a complete and obvious whitewash.” A judge ruled that Harry, as well as Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, the other claimants in the case, did not prove Associated Newspapers engaged in illegal information gathering and threw out the case, Deadline reported.
The legal setback may have hurt Harry’s fundraising chances, according to Daily Beast royal editor Tom Sykes.
“I think Invictus are the real losers in this, and I think right-thinking person would wish only the greatest of success to a charity that tries to help wounded veterans,” Sykes told NewsNation’s Paula Froelich.
“I think they’re going to have to accept that having Harry as their patron, as their spokesman, as the face of the organization is unhelpful,” he added.
First of all, Harry wasn’t in Birmingham to find sponsors, he was there for the OYTG events, which everyone knew and covered. Second of all, Invictus has been announcing partnerships and sponsorships at a steady clip for months. Just in the past three months, they’ve announced partnerships with ATCO (a Canadian company), Deloitte and Jaguar Land Rover/Defender. All for an Invictus Games which is one year away!
Given the particular royal commentators who are beating the “Harry must leave Invictus” drum, it’s clear that Prince William in particular is pushing this narrative. William wants to claim credit for Harry’s work and “take over” Invictus. The problem is that William is too lazy to support the patronages he already has, and I actually think William only wants to become “patron of Invictus” so he can destroy it and destroy Harry’s legacy, just like he did with Sentebale.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
