Uganda pulling out of Prince Harry's Invictus Games, says military chief

Uganda is pulling out of the Invictus Games, a sports event for wounded military veterans run by the Duke of Sussex, only two months after the country said it would join.

General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, chief of defence and son of the president, made the announcement in a social media post on X.

He said the decision to withdraw from the games was "in order not to be construed as being opposed to His Majesty King Charles III".

Ugandan government spokesman Alan Kasujja confirmed this to the BBC: "General Kainerugaba decides whether or not the UPDF [Uganda People's Defence Force] participates in the Invictus Games. What you saw is his stated position. If it changes, he will let the world know."

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The Ugandan military chief's announcement follows a letter sent this week on behalf of the King which made clear that Prince Harry and Meghan, who have now returned to the UK, were not working royals.

A report in The Times newspaper quoted the general's concerns about the "Harry-Meghan nonsense", suggesting this was the background to the decision.