PRINCE HARRY SEEKS KING'S ATTENDANCE AT BIRMINGHAM INVICTUS GAMES

Prince Harry and organisers of the Invictus Games are planning to invite King Charles to attend next year's event in Birmingham, according to reports. The Games, founded by Prince Harry in 2014 for wounded, injured and sick military service personnel and veterans, will take place at the National Exhibition Centre. Organisers are understood to be proposing that the King participate in either the opening or closing ceremony and attend various sporting events to meet competitors. Such an appearance would mark the first public outing together for the King and Prince Harry in years.

Prince Harry visited Birmingham last month for the one-year countdown celebration but attended without his wife Meghan Markle, who did not join him due to security concerns after a request for police security was reportedly declined. Sources close to Prince Harry indicated that having his father present at the Games held significant meaning for the duke. A royal source noted separately that the King "would welcome the opportunity to see his grandchildren again". The King and Prince Harry last appeared together publicly at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022, with their most recent family gathering occurring at the monarch's Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire.

The proposed meeting would represent a potential shift in relations between the pair, whose relationship has been strained since Prince Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020. In a 2021 interview, Prince Harry stated that Charles "stopped taking his calls" after he outlined plans to step down from royal duties. The pair's estrangement has been marked by public statements and allegations made in Prince Harry's Netflix documentary and memoir, both of which contained criticism of the King and the institution of the monarchy.