Prince Harry‘s brief meeting with King Charles last September had many wondering if it would open the door to a reconciliation.
While the 41-year-old is still waiting to find out the answer to the review into his security in the UK, it has been reported that he has asked his father to play a key role in next year’s Invictus Games.
The games, which have long been a passion project for the Duke of Sussex, will take place in the UK for the first time since 2014, but the request will no doubt put Charles in a difficult position with both of his sons.
Prince Harry has reportedly asked King Charles to play a role in next year’s Invictus Games, but the request could put him in a difficult position. (Getty)
“Invictus has become pivotal. It is Harry’s great cause and his greatest achievement and any father would want to support his son as the games come to the UK,” BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror.
She explained that it’s not a straightforward situation for the king.
“It could become a classic case of a father having to choose between his warring sons. We can only imagine how William might feel if Charles publicly threw his support behind the games and Harry.”
William has stood strong in recent years, putting work on the forefront despite both his wife Catherine and Charles facing cancer diagnoses, rising above any family drama.
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It’s likely that Charles will want to support Harry at the Invictus Games in the UK. (Getty)
But for William seeing his father show such public support for Harry could stir up tensions. (Getty)
“To see his father stand on a very public platform and salute Harry’s achievement would be tough. But that’s the dilemma the King might face,” Bond added.
But while there’s a lot of focus on Harry and Charles, the return of the games to the UK also has many wondering if his wife Meghan Markle will be by his side too.
The duchess has previously supported her husband at Invictus events, and missing out on this could be taken as a very big snub.
“She must know that she’s likely to encounter a degree of hostility in the UK, but in the bubble of the Invictus Games she is safe,” Bond said.
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The Mail on Sunday recently reported Harry has won his bid for automatic taxpayer-funded armed police protection when he visits the UK, with the ruling expected to be announced officially in the coming weeks, according to the outlet’s sources.
Harry’s years-long legal fight for security in the UK started after the couple stepped down from their roles as senior working royals in 2020.
He has previously said that the lack of protection had stopped him from returning to the UK with Meghan and their two children, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four.
“I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point,” Harry told the BBC in a May 2025 interview.
“I love my country, I always have done, despite what some people in that country have done.”
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