There’s not much that can get Prince Harry to come back to the U.K. these days, but his beloved Invictus Games is on that list. As founded in 2014, the world’s only sporting event for wounded veterans is the Duke of Sussex’s pride and joy. Famously, he was just handed an ESPY award for it, which caused no end of controversy.
So it’s a major development that the host of a future Invictus Games has now been chosen, and it is confirmed to bring Harry back to his native England. Beating out Washington D.C., Birmingham in the U.K. has officially won the bid to host the event in 2027. The next games are due to take place in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada in 2025, but then it will be Birmingham’s time to shine. What’s more, it’ll also mean that Harry won’t be able to escape from coming back to Britain.
Although he fears for his “sanity and physical safety” whenever he’s in the U.K., Harry does make the occasional brief trip home. It’s a different story for Meghan Markle, however, so it seems the Duchess of Sussex has a big decision ahead of her.
Will Meghan return to the U.K. for the 2027 Invictus Games?
What’s really important about Birmingham’s appointment as the host of the 2027 Invictus Games is that it will mark the first time the event has returned to the U.K. since the inaugural games in 2014. Over the years, it’s hopped around the globe and, since their marriage in 2018, Meghan has been at Harry’s side for all of them. In fact, she seems as invested in them as her husband — just look at her shedding a tear at the sitting volleyball medal ceremony at the 2023 games in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The problem, though, is that Meghan likewise hasn’t been seen in England for, if not quite a full decade, then several years. It’s a fact that the duchess hasn’t set foot on British soil willingly since she and Harry left their Royal duties behind and moved to the U.S. in 2020. Whenever Harry has visited the U.K. since then, he has come alone — excepting Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, but not including King Charles’ coronation. This suggests a deeper-rooted dislike of the country than a simple aversion to the drizzly weather. Something likely rooted in the dramatic split from the Royal family.
With Harry now facing a deadline to make his most significant trip to England this decade, Meghan has a looming decision to make over whether she will go with him to watch the Invictus Games as usual or whether her apparent private promise never to visit England’s shores again will win out. At least she has three years to make up her mind.