Prince Harry has confirmed when he will next visit the UK after a UK judge dismissed his plea to restore his state-funded security back in May. While it is likely that the Duke of Sussex will return before this date, Harry has confirmed he will be back in the UK for the Invictus Games when they are hosted in Birmingham in July 2027.
In July 2024, it was announced that the city had won its bid to host the Games, but the specific dates still needed to be confirmed. On Tuesday, the official Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 social media account posted: “SAVE THE DATES! The Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 are coming: 10th–17th July. Opening Ceremony: 10th July. Closing Ceremony: 17th July.”
Prince Harry was inspired to found the Invictus Games after attending the Warrior Games in Colorado in 2013 and seeing how injured American military personnel thrived on the challenge of taking part in competitive sports that aided their recovery.
He went on to stage the first games in London in 2014 and has since held the tournament in Orlando, Sydney, Dusseldorf and, most recently, hosted the first winter version of the games in Whistler, Canada.
The update about the games comes a little over a month after Harry lost the latest stage of his legal battle in the UK and took part in a scathing interview with the BBC.
Shortly after the UK judge dismissed Harry’s plea for restoration of state-funded security, the BBC released an interview with the Duke where he said he was “devastated” with the situation and wished for “reconciliation” with his family and dad, King Charles.
In an emotional statement, he also said he does not know how long the King has left as he continues his treatment for cancer.
The Duke also said: “I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point. There have been so many disagreements between myself and some of my family,” he added, but had now “forgiven” them.
“I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious,” he said as he referred to the dispute over his security as something which had “always been the sticking point”.