Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly embracing their return to the United Kingdom, even as their latest dispute with Buckingham Palace threatens to overshadow their fresh start. Sources close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex insist the couple’s immediate priority is helping Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet settle into their new surroundings and begin the school year. However, their return has already been complicated by Uganda’s decision to withdraw from the 2027 Invictus Games and a public disagreement over King Charles’ description of the couple as private citizens.
Despite the mounting controversy, an insider claimed Harry and Meghan remain focused on their children after moving halfway across the world. “Everything else will fall into place when the time is right,” the source told PEOPLE. “There is a lot to do. They have just moved halfway across the world, and it’s been really busy getting the kids settled. Their focus has been on that, and will remain on that, for the time being. They are happy to be back.”
The Sussexes reportedly established a private, non-royal home in Britain last month while retaining their residence in Montecito, California. It marks a significant change for the family after Harry and Meghan stepped away from their roles as working royals and relocated to the United States in 2020. However, their return does not change their official standing within the Royal Family.
The couple’s homecoming has been overshadowed by Uganda’s withdrawal from the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham. General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the head of Uganda’s military and son of President Yoweri Museveni, announced that the country would no longer participate because of concerns about appearing to oppose King Charles.
“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,” Kainerugaba wrote on X. “We shall not participate in anything that does not have His Majesty’s approval.”
When asked about the announcement, the general made his feelings about the Sussexes even clearer. “I have factions in the Ministry of Defense that support that Harry-Meghan nonsense. I had to quash it straight away. I support the monarch. Period,” he told The Times.
Uganda had only recently joined the Invictus community, becoming the 26th nation connected to Harry’s international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick service members and veterans. The withdrawal also came just two months after Uganda’s defense minister, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, was photographed with Harry at an Invictus gathering in London.
Sussex Sources Blame King Charles’ Letter
Sources close to Harry and Meghan reportedly believe Uganda’s decision was directly connected to guidance issued on behalf of the King. “They made it very clear that the reason they pulled out was a direct result of perceived guidance from the Lord Chamberlain,” an insider told PEOPLE. “This was an unintended or intended consequence of the letter, and that was always going to happen. Hence the wish not to rush it out.”
The source claimed the Ugandan competitors who had been preparing to participate are the people most affected by the decision. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the growing disagreement, reportedly maintaining that the letter provided sufficient clarity about Harry and Meghan’s positions.
Sources close to the King have also suggested that the monarch remains supportive of organizations helping wounded veterans.
King Charles Reinforced The Couple’s Private Status
The disputed guidance confirmed that Harry and Meghan remain non-working members of the Royal Family despite relocating to Britain. It also stated that their HRH styles remain in abeyance and are not to be used. “In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests,” the letter read.
The Palace maintained that the guidance was consistent with the couple’s departure from royal duties and the agreement reached during the 2020 Sandringham Summit. However, sources close to the Sussexes reportedly took issue with the private citizen description, arguing that their global profiles make them public figures.
“The duke is understood to have taken particular issue with the notion that the couple was to be treated as private citizens. If that were the case, it was claimed, such formal guidance would not be required,” a briefing to The Telegraph stated. “The Sussexes prefer the term ‘public figures’, and would have liked an acknowledgment that, on a personal level, they remained members of the Royal Family, despite no longer receiving public funding.”
The disagreement appears to center on terminology rather than Harry and Meghan seeking an immediate return to royal duties. Sources close to the couple have acknowledged that they are not working royals.
PR Expert Warns The Dispute Could Hurt Invictus
Public relations expert Mark Borkowski warned that the couple’s response to the Palace could risk damaging the most respected project associated with Harry. “Uganda is the warning. The Sussex soap opera is now damaging Invictus, the one unimpeachable thing Harry created. The brand is beginning to consume the cause,” he told the Daily Mail. “Harry and Meghan want the freedoms of private citizens but the power of royalty, and they brief furiously whenever anyone points out the contradiction.”
Borkowski also criticized the couple’s reported approach to managing the disagreement. “They drive the PR. They keep making the same mistake, with their certainty that the narrative should start to unravel. ‘Woe is us’, the poor victims of the mighty establishment machine,” he said. “They’ve confused briefing with strategy. They want the freedoms of private citizens with the power of royalty and brief furiously whenever anyone points out the contradiction.”
