King Charles Likely to Reject Prince Harry’s Invictus Invitation — and Camilla Is to Blame
Royal experts believe that Charles could decline Harry's invitation by using his wife, Queen Camilla, as an excuse.
Royal fans eagerly hope to see King Charles reconcile with Prince Harry during the Invictus Games 2027, which will be held in Birmingham, UK. The Duke of Sussex, who founded the Games for military personnel, both serving and veterans, has decided to send out invitations to his estranged family as an olive branch. However, royal experts believe that the Prince needs to first regain some of the lost trust. Additionally, they argued that one excuse that the monarch could use to decline Harry's invitation is his wife, Queen Camilla’s, birthday celebration.
Harry and Charles haven't been on speaking terms since the former’s bombshell claims about the royal family. Along with his wife, Meghan Markle, the Duke has aired grievances against the Firm in several interviews, their Netflix docu-series, and has also written a memoir. In light of it all, it is unclear whether Charles would consider attending the Invictus Games in Birmingham. According to OK! magazine, former Buckingham Palace press officer, Dickie Arbiter, shared his views on the same and predicted the monarch’s next move. The expert stressed the importance of the sovereign’s presence at the Games, given that Invictus involves the UK military, and Charles is the head of State. Arbiter argued that deciding against making an appearance at the event would hence be a ‘bad fit’. The expert said, “It would be a difficult one to skip. Someone needs to find a resolution. There should be a presence of the King — maybe not William, but certainly the King.” In the expert’s view, Camilla’s birthday celebrations, however, could be the perfect excuse for Charles to skip the Games.
Invictus Games 2027 is scheduled to happen from July 10-17. The Games’ closing day falls on the same day as Camilla’s 80th birthday, which is expected to be a grand celebration. The expert noted, “There is precedent. No royals went to the 10th anniversary at St. Paul's Cathedral last year. Harry came; we're led to believe there were soft invites, but the royals said they were busy. Camilla's birthday also falls during Invictus. So yes, they have excuses.” Arbiter further opined that the only way Harry can win over his father and brother is if he seeks an apology. Reflecting on the Duke’s BBC interview where he claimed that he does not know how much his father has left to live, Arbiter asserted, “You don't say things like that in public. He's got a lot of ground to make up — and the ground is with a capital A: Apology. And you've got to mean it. His father won't see him because he thinks anything he says will be all over the internet in a nanosecond — and he can't trust him.”
According to the expert, while Charles may still attend, Prince William is unlikely to make an appearance at the Games. The former press officer explained, “He's [Harry] got to clear a lot of bad air to get them there because William really doesn't want anything to do with him. A parent is slightly different — he loves his son, but he's very hurt by what his son has done.”
