Uganda has reversed its withdrawal from the 2027 Invictus Games, after a call from a senior royal aide assured the country’s military chief that King Charles III had no objection to its participation in the event founded by his son, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. The reversal was announced in a statement dated September 14, 2026, from Col. Chris Magezi, acting director of defence public information for the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF).
Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s chief of defence forces, spoke by phone with Sir Clive Alderton, principal private secretary to the King and Queen, who said Charles “has no problem with Uganda’s participation in the Invictus Games” and encouraged preparations to continue. Kainerugaba “appreciated the King’s message and clarity provided by Buckingham Palace,” Magezi said, and the force would resume sending a team of wounded and injured personnel to Birmingham. According to the UPDF, the King was “moved by the general’s sensitivity to his opinion” and content for Uganda to take part in a sporting event it described as separate from official royal duties.
Why Uganda Withdrew
Kainerugaba had announced Uganda’s exit on X on September 9, writing: “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.” He added that Uganda would “not participate in anything that does not have His Majesty’s approval.” Asked by The Times what had motivated the move, he was blunter: “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.” Ugandan government spokesman Alan Kasujja said at the time that the decision rested with Kainerugaba alone, and that any change of position would come from him.
Commentators pointed to a letter as the likely trigger. The withdrawal came shortly after Lord Chamberlain Richard Benyon sent a letter to senior government and military officials reaffirming that Harry and Meghan are no longer working members of the royal family, that their HRH styles remain unused, and that their charitable and commercial work is undertaken in a private capacity, “akin to private citizens.” Buckingham Palace said the letter was meant only to clarify the couple’s status for official organizations. A source close to Harry told broadcasters the withdrawal was likely a consequence of that guidance being shared publicly, while representatives for the Sussexes said they were surprised not to have been told in advance.
A Recent Partnership
Uganda’s involvement in the Games dates only to this year. The UPDF and the Invictus Games Foundation formalized a partnership in October 2025, with Kainerugaba calling it “a significant milestone” for the rehabilitation of wounded personnel. Uganda then formally joined the Invictus community on July 7 at an event at Chatham House in London, becoming the 26th participating nation and the first from East Africa. Defence Minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka attended alongside Prince Harry and called the admission a milestone for wounded and injured service members.
A Swift Reversal
Rob Owen, chief executive of the Invictus Games Foundation, welcomed Uganda’s return, saying the country would remain part of the Invictus community as preparations continue for Birmingham, now under 300 days away. The Games, which Harry launched in 2014 for wounded, injured and sick service members and veterans, are scheduled to run July 10–17, 2027.
Kainerugaba, the eldest son of President Yoweri Museveni and widely seen as a likely successor to his father, trained at Sandhurst, as Harry did; he took up the post of chief of defence forces in March 2024 and has declared his own 2031 presidential ambitions. Uganda had been out of the Games for barely a week — a fast turnaround commentators framed as a striking demonstration of royal soft power, redirecting a foreign military’s public stance with a single phone call rather than any economic or diplomatic pressure.
Little has actually changed on the palace’s side of the dispute. The Lord Chamberlain’s letter still stands, the palace has not revised its description of the Sussexes’ charitable work, and it has not said whether the King himself will attend the Birmingham Games. Both of his sons, William and Harry, were with him when he attended the opening ceremony of the first Invictus Games in London in 2014.