Africa · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Uganda Pulls Out of Invictus Games After General Muhoozi Kainerugaba Rejects King Charles Approval
Uganda withdraws from Invictus Games, citing need for King Charles's approval. Announcement came from General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda's chief of defence forces.
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9 of 10 outlets skipped it: invictus had not received official withdrawal information.
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Uganda quits Invictus
Uganda pulled out of the Duke of Sussex’s Invictus Games, with General Muhoozi Kainerugaba saying the country would “not participate in anything” without the approval of King Charles III of the United Kingdom.
“Uganda has pulled out of the Duke of Sussex’s Invictus Games”
Kainerugaba made the declaration on X, writing: “In order not to be construed as being opposed to His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom, whom we deeply revere, Uganda hereby withdraws from the Invictus Games.”
The withdrawal came only two months after Uganda said it would join the Invictus Games, and the BBC reported that Uganda had become the 26th country to take part.
The BBC also said the decision followed a letter sent this week on behalf of the King clarifying that Prince Harry and Meghan were not working royals, after their return to the UK.
The Invictus Games Foundation was described by the East Renfrewshire News as looking into the matter after Uganda’s announcement.
Factions and palace letter
Speaking to The Times, Kainerugaba said he had to quash support in the military for “that Harry-Meghan nonsense,” adding: “I support the monarch. Period.”
The Independent framed the same explanation through Kainerugaba’s account that he had “factions in the Ministry of Defence that support that Harry-Meghan nonsense. I had to quash it straight away. I support the monarch. Period.”
The BBC reported that a spokesman for the Invictus Games said they had not received any official information about a potential withdrawal and were seeking clarification from their contacts in Uganda.
The BBC also quoted Ugandan government spokesman Alan Kasujja saying, “General Kainerugaba decides whether or not the UPDF [Uganda People's Defence Force] participates in the Invictus Games.”
In the same BBC account, royal sources said the King encourages projects that support wounded service personnel, even as the general’s post cited the King’s approval as the condition for participation.
What happens next
Uganda’s withdrawal means its injured service personnel will not take part in the Birmingham Games scheduled for 2027, ending what Pulse Uganda described as a new chapter in rehabilitation support for UPDF veterans.
“Uganda’s withdrawal means its injured service personnel will not take part in the Birmingham Games scheduled for 2027”
Pulse Uganda said the admission was announced on July 7, 2026, during the 14th Invictus Games Foundation Conversation at Chatham House in London, and that Uganda had been preparing to participate in the 2027 Birmingham Games before the pullout.
The BBC reported that participation in the next games, to be held next year in Birmingham, was announced in July when Prince Harry was in London promoting the sports event.
The East Renfrewshire News said Harry is staging his tournament for injured, sick or wounded former and still-serving service personnel in Birmingham next year, and it was said he wants the King to attend its opening ceremony.
With the Invictus Games Foundation described as looking into the matter, the BBC said the organisation had been seeking clarification from its contacts in Uganda after the general’s post on X.