King Charles III’s household has untangled an unlikely diplomatic row over the Invictus Games, the competition founded by his son Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. Uganda’s military has reversed its decision to quit the 2027 competition, explaining that assurances had come through that the monarch raised no objection. The about-face was announced in a post on Monday, September 14, 2026, by Col. Chris Magezi, acting director of defence public information for the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF).

In it, Magezi wrote that Uganda’s chief of defence forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, had put the country back on the roster for the Games in Birmingham. That event runs July 10 to 17, 2027. The decision followed a telephone call with Sir Clive Alderton, principal private secretary to the king and queen. Charles, he added, “has no problem with Uganda’s participation in the Invictus Games, and encouraged the [Chief of Defence Forces] CDF to proceed with preparations.”

The same post said Kainerugaba welcomed the king’s message and the clarity Buckingham Palace had provided, and promised that the UPDF would restart its preparations for the Games. All of it came less than a week after the withdrawal was announced.

Why Uganda Walked Away

Kainerugaba had declared the pullout in an X post on September 9, saying he did not want his country’s involvement to be construed as opposition to Charles, a monarch he described as deeply revered in Uganda. “We shall not participate in anything that does not have His Majesty’s approval,” he wrote on X.

Pressed by the Times on what had motivated the move, Kainerugaba said: “I have factions in the Ministry of Defence that support that Harry-Meghan nonsense. I had to quash it straight away. I support the monarch. Period.”

An official letter sent on Charles’ behalf to government departments, military bodies and Lord Lieutenants was the document commentators linked to the pullout. It restated that Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are not working royals, will not use their HRH styles and will remain “private citizens” while living in the U.K. Released on September 8 under the direction of King Charles, it stands as the royal family’s only statement on the Sussexes’ return. Issued through the Office of the Lord Chamberlain, it called their charitable work “a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity,” and their position “akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”

Harry’s team tied the withdrawal to that palace guidance, and the couple were “surprised” by the September 8 letter, their spokesperson told ABC News at the time. The purpose of the letter, according to Buckingham Palace, was merely to make the couple’s status plain to military and government departments. A different account came in the UPDF’s September 14 post, which said palace wording characterizing the Invictus Games as a private charity, rather than an official initiative of the royal family, had prompted the pullout.

Harry’s 26th Invictus Nation

Uganda’s place in the movement is new. Its entry into the Invictus community came in July 2026, making it the 26th participating nation, the second African country and the first from East Africa. A partnership between the UPDF and the Invictus Games Foundation opened that door, with the aim of broadening rehabilitation and adaptive sports work for wounded service members. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, Uganda’s defence minister, attended the foundation event in London where the announcement was made; the UPDF’s own account placed Harry there alongside him.

Uganda’s confirmation that it will remain part of the Invictus community and compete at the Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 drew a welcome from the foundation’s chief executive, Rob Owen, who said the event was less than 300 days away.

The multisport competition was launched by Harry in 2014 for military personnel and veterans who are wounded, injured or sick.

The duke made his first official engagement — and his first public appearance — since he and Meghan moved back to the U.K., arriving on September 17 at the Invictus Spirit Awards at the Royal Naval College in London in a tuxedo with his military medals. “It’s good to be back on British soil,” he told reporters at the event.

The couple returned to the U.K. in August with their children, Archie and Lilibet, after six years living in California that followed their 2020 departure from senior royal roles. Harry is building his own calendar as a non-working member of the royal family.

The General Behind the U-Turn

President Yoweri Museveni, who turned 82 on September 15, is the father of Kainerugaba, his eldest son, who was appointed chief of defence forces in March 2024. Widely regarded as his father’s likely successor, he declared a 2031 presidential bid in August, after earlier targeting 2026. Like Harry, he is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Social media is another arena where he cuts a provocative figure. Posts on his X account have included threats to invade neighboring Kenya and threats aimed at Bobi Wine, Museveni’s main political rival.

Well beyond royal circles, the episode drew attention as a measure of how far historical soft power and royal reverence still reach — a single phone call redirecting an African military’s public stance, with no pressure and no economic leverage applied. Uganda had been the foundation’s newest member for barely two months when it walked out, and was back inside a week.

Whether the king himself turns up in Birmingham is still an open question. As of September 14, the palace had not confirmed his attendance at the 2027 Games. He was at the opening ceremony of the first Invictus Games in London in September 2014, alongside both his sons, Prince William and Harry.

Neither William nor the king has commented publicly on Harry and Meghan’s return to the U.K., as of September 17. Charles spent that day at Dumfries House in Cumnock, Scotland, delivering a speech on artificial intelligence at a conference, while William and Kate visited the Isle of Bute.