Uganda quits the Invictus Games, citing respect for King Charles
The country's defence chief announced the withdrawal on X, days after a letter on the King's behalf restated that Harry and Meghan are not working royals. Organisers say nobody told them.
Uganda has withdrawn from the Invictus Games, the sporting competition for wounded and injured military personnel founded by the Duke of Sussex, two months after confirming it would take part.
The announcement came in an overnight post on X from General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda's chief of defence forces and the son of President Yoweri Museveni, and was framed entirely around the British monarch rather than the competition itself.
What was said
Uganda was withdrawing, the general wrote, "in order not to be construed as being opposed to His Majesty King Charles III" — a monarch, he added, "whom we deeply revere".
He added: "We shall not participate in anything that does not have His Majesty's approval."
The Ugandan government spokesman, Alan Kasujja, confirmed the position to the BBC and made clear where the decision sits.
"General Kainerugaba decides whether or not the UPDF participates in the Invictus Games," he said, referring to the Uganda People's Defence Force. "What you saw is his stated position. If it changes, he will let the world know."
The letter behind it
The withdrawal followed a letter sent this week on behalf of the King, which made clear that Prince Harry and Meghan, who have now returned to the UK, are not working royals. That letter was shared with the media.
A source close to the Sussexes said Uganda's withdrawal was a consequence of it.
"Sadly, the only people who will suffer are the Invictus Games competitors," the source said.
The Times reported the general's concerns about what it quoted as the "Harry-Meghan nonsense", suggesting that was the background to the decision.
Royal sources have said the King encourages all projects that support wounded service personnel — a position difficult to square with the reason Uganda has given for pulling out.
Organisers were not informed
A spokesman for the Invictus Games said the organisation had received no official information about a withdrawal and had been seeking clarification from its contacts in Uganda.
That leaves the position formally unresolved. A social media post from the defence chief, however senior, is not the same as a withdrawal processed through the competition.
What Uganda is withdrawing from
Uganda's participation was announced in July, while Prince Harry was in London promoting the event. The country became the 26th to join. The next games are due to be held next year in Birmingham.
The competition exists to mark the resilience and rehabilitation of wounded servicemen and women, which is the point the source close to the Sussexes was making about who actually loses here.
Context on the announcement
The withdrawal was not the general's only post on X that day. Another read: "I consider myself the most handsome, most daring and glorious Commander who ever lived." There was also a series of angry messages about other generals who had danced without his permission.
That context does not change the decision, but it is relevant to how much weight the announcement carries — and to the Invictus organisers' apparent decision to seek confirmation rather than act on the post.
