William And Kate Face 'Awkward Situation' With Harry's UK Return

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend the Coach Core graduation ceremony for more than 150 Coach Core apprentices at The London Stadium on October 18, 2017 in London, England.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 24 July 2024

The Prince and Princess of Wales could be in a potentially awkward "situation" following a recent announcement from Prince Harry, according to royal experts. Earlier this week, the Duke of Sussex shared that the 2027 Invictus Games will be held in Birmingham, and this will be the first time that the sporting competition has taken place in the UK since the first games were held in London in 2014. While it will mark a return to the UK for Harry, it also raises questions about whether or not Prince William and Princess Kate will be involved this time around, and if Harry will get public support from his father, King Charles.

In a recent report, royal correspondent Dorothy Reddin noted that the first Invictus Games were held at an athletic complex in London - located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park - and counted the then-Prince Charles and Prince William as audience members. But since Harry stepped down from royal life in 2020, he has been running the Invictus Games separately from the royal institution — and none of the senior royals have attended the events since.

However, now that the Games are headed back to Harry's home country, all eyes will be on William and Kate, and whether they decide to extend an olive branch and make an appearance. Columnist Dorothy Reddin said (per GB News): "The Royal Family would almost certainly have to consider the optics of a major sporting event being held in the heart of the UK and no visibility from Harry's immediate family, thus placing the Wales' in an awkward position."

She explained that William and Kate could "appear cold" if they didn't show up, but acknowledged that there's also a lot of hurt between the two couples and that there could be an understandable argument for them avoiding the event.

Unfortunately, the relationship between William and Harry has not improved over the last few years. When the Duke of Sussex visited London for an Invictus-related event this past May, neither his dad nor his brother agreed to see him — even though he had reportedly given them plenty of advance notice.

One can only hope they'll all be able to build bridges between now and the upcoming games.

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Prince Harry

Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.

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