Meghan Markle could miss the Invictus Games for the first time because of security fears after Birmingham was today revealed as the tournament’s host city in 2027.
The Duke of Sussex – who founded the sporting competition for wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans – is embroiled in an ongoing row with the Home Office over security arrangements for himself and his family when in the UK.
In February, Prince Harry – who lives in Montecito, California – lost his High Court challenge against the Government over his right to state-funded police protection.
He had told a judge that he did not feel able to bring his children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, to Britain and could not put his wife ‘in danger like that’.
Harry was given permission in May to go to the Court of Appeal – but if this fails then he may feel forced to attend the competition alone because of fears for his family.
This morning, a special event including a flag-raising ceremony and a demonstration of wheelchair pickleball was held at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC).
The city council went bankrupt last September and is putting up council tax by 21 per cent over the next two years as part of a £300million budget savings drive.
Prince Harry and Meghan at the 2024 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on July 11
Birmingham was announced at midnight as having won the bid for the 2027 games, which will be the first time the event has come home to the UK since the Duke staged the inaugural tournament in London in 2014.
Following that event at the capital’s Olympic Park in Stratford, the tournament has since been held across the globe in Orlando, Toronto, Sydney, the Hague and Dusseldorf.
The first winter hybrid Games will take place in Vancouver and Whistler in February next year.
But a home turf competition in three years’ time raises the question as to whether Harry’s father King Charles III, brother Prince William and other members of the Royal Family will attend to support the event.
Charles and William backed Harry when he launched the major venture ten years ago, joining him at the opening ceremony and later flanking him as they watched the athletics together in high spirits.
Veterans minister Al Carns (right) and Dominic Reid (left), the outgoing Invictus Games Foundation chief executive, attend a flag raising ceremony at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham this morning after the announcement that city will host the 2027 Invictus Games
But much has changed in the years that followed, with Harry stepping down as a working royal with the Duchess of Sussex and moving to the US.
He faced a strained relationship with his father and an ongoing rift with his brother, exacerbated by the criticism he levelled at Charles, Queen Camilla, William and the Princess of Wales in his Netflix documentary and memoir Spare.
Meghan was last seen publicly in the UK nearly two years ago at the late Queen’s funeral in September 2022.
Harry marked the 10th anniversary of Invictus at a special service in St Paul’s Cathedral in London in May, but he was without Meghan or his children, and there was no appearance by the King or William.
However, the Games hold special memories for Harry and Meghan, after they were first pictured in public together at Invictus in Toronto in 2017 as they watched the wheelchair tennis.
Army veteran Gaz Golightly plays pickleball at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre today
Meghan has attended every Invictus Games competition since.
The couple married at Windsor Castle in May 2018 before stepping down as senior royals in early 2020.
At the High Court earlier this year, the Duke had challenged a February 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which falls under the remit of the Home Office, after being told he would no longer be given the ‘same degree’ of personal protective security when visiting.
Harry’s lawyers said he was ‘singled out’ and treated ‘less favourably’ in the decision, arguing a failure to carry out a risk analysis and fully consider the impact of a ‘successful attack’ on him meant the approach to his protection was ‘unlawful and unfair’.
Veterans minister Al Carns plays pickleball at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre today
The Government said Harry’s claim should be dismissed, arguing Ravec was entitled to conclude the duke’s protection should be ‘bespoke’ and considered on a ‘case-by-case’ basis.
In a ruling on February 28, retired High Court judge Sir Peter Lane rejected the duke’s case and concluded Ravec’s approach was not irrational nor procedurally unfair.
In his 52-page partially redacted judgment, Sir Peter said Harry’s lawyers had taken ‘an inappropriate, formalist interpretation of the Ravec process’.
But a legal spokesman for Harry said after the ruling that he would appeal, and it was then revealed on June 6 that he had been given the green light by Lord Justice Bean on May 23 to take his case to the Court of Appeal.
Today, it was revealed that Birmingham had won the bid to host the Invictus Games in 2027, with Harry congratulating the city on its success.
Veterans minister Al Carns speaks at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham today
The UK government-backed £26million proposal saw off competition from US finalist Washington DC and the event will be staged at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in July in three years’ time.
Three new sports – pickleball, laser run and esports – are expected to feature in the 2027 Games.
At special event to mark the successful bid to host the games at the NEC today, Al Carns, the minister for veterans and people and MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, said the Invictus Games in 2027 would ‘put Birmingham on the map once again’,
The veteran, who served and led during four tours in Afghanistan, added: ‘All eyes are going to be on Birmingham in these games and that’s a great story for the mayor, it’s a great story for the council and it’s a great story for the community in the West Midlands.
‘Constituents across Birmingham and the West Midlands have now got something to come to, to see and hear the stories of all those veterans, and to be really proud of them.’
Veterans minister Al Carns speaks at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham today
He said Birmingham is, for many injured servicemen and women, the place they come to when returning from duty.
He said: ‘We have a lot of veterans who, when they were wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq, came here as the first point of call back into the UK, and then from there, they’ve gone away, and now they’re coming back to compete in the games and continue that journey of recovery.
‘They have come full circle and it means so much to the veterans, the families and those serving. I think that’s really, really powerful.’
Helen Helliwell, chief executive officer of the Invictus Games Birmingham bid, said they were planning to ‘create something really unique and memorable’ in 2027.
She said: ‘Our goal is to deliver the most cohesive and celebrated Invictus Games in history by bringing sports ceremonies, festivals, together here at the NEC in one location.’
Harry and Meghan at a Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 preview event in February
Explaining why the NEC is suitable to host the games, she said: ‘It has lots of accommodation, loads of indoor and outdoor space, a purpose-built arena for our opening ceremony and we’re looking to host the closing ceremony on the lake.
‘We’re going to utilise all of this amazing space to create a really unforgettable and sustainable festival to bring communities together.’
Ms Helliwell said Birmingham has a ‘really deep connection’ to the armed forces and particularly the Invictus community, adding: ‘We have the Queen Elizabeth Hospital which treats our wounded, the Royal College of Defence Medicine which trains our clinicians, Fisher House, which accommodates families whilst their loved ones are being treated, and the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre just down the road.
‘We know that the people of Birmingham will provide a warm welcome to all of our participating nations. The youngest city in western Europe, the most ethically diverse with nearly 200 languages spoken, we’ll be tapping into that diversity to create a cultural programme that celebrates differences through food, music and arts.’
Harry and Meghan at the Invictus Games Dusseldorf closing ceremony in September 2023
Ian Taylor, managing director at the NEC, said the news the UK bid to host the 2027 games has been successful is an ‘incredibly proud moment for Birmingham’.
He said: ‘Birmingham is an event city, our infrastructure is built to host national and international events every day of the week and this city and this venue showed the world what we’re capable of in 2022 when we delivered the incredible Commonwealth Games.
‘We are planning the most cohesive, inspirational and amazing Invictus Games yet for 2027 and our plan is to deliver an event that celebrates everything that Invictus stands for, not just amazing sporting activity, but a festival that engages and inspires all the communities, families, schools and the wider population at large.
‘We want to make sure we put the competitors and their friends and family at the centre of everything in 2027, so that they can concentrate on telling their stories, continuing their recovery journeys and inspiring everyone with their achievements.
Meghan and Harry watch sitting volleyball at the Invictus Games at The Hague in April 2022
‘I know that Birmingham will get behind Invictus Games 2027 like no other city.’
And Sharon Thompson, deputy mayor of Birmingham and deputy leader of Birmingham City Council, said the Invictus Games would be ‘awesome’ for the city.
She said: ‘I was really excited for the Commonwealth Games in 2022 but this is a different kind of magic, a different kind of special.
‘When we get visitors, we love to host – we will welcome people to the city and really focus ourselves on being an inclusive city.
‘I normally have an alarm clock but my phone was buzzing this morning with the excitement around the announcement.
‘I hope we can keep this energy and build on it to create the most cohesive and inclusive games to honour veterans.’
Staff Sergeant Jonny Ball, who competed in the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf in 2023, said he was excited for the games to come to Birmingham as the armed forces community is ‘intrinsically linked to this part of the world’.
Meghan and Harry at the Sydney Invictus Games wheelchair basketball final in October 2018
He said: ‘This part of the world is the soul of our recovery community, the wounded, injured and sick community of which we’re privileged to be a part of and ambassadors for.
‘I myself had seven surgeries down the road in Coventry.
‘We have so many deep emotional links to the individuals that have cared for us. I’m massively excited for those over the years who’ve selflessly cared for our wounded, injured and sick community.
‘Now I’ve got the opportunity to come to this place to share what I think is the magic of the Invictus Games, and it’s that magic that I felt in Dusseldorf, which was palpable.’
Earlier, the Duke said in a statement that Birmingham’s strong ties to the military community had made it a ‘formidable contender’.
Harry, patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, said: ‘Congratulations to Birmingham, UK, on winning the bid to host the Invictus Games 2027.
‘Your city’s strong ties to the armed forces community made it a formidable contender from the very start.
Harry and Meghan were first seen in public together at Invictus in Toronto in September 2017
‘Over the years, we’ve seen each city bring a unique spirit and vision to life for competitors, their families and spectators.
‘We have no doubt the people of Birmingham will join in celebrating the unwavering respect and admiration we have for our veteran and service community, showing the world how their courage ignites hope and unites us all – something your city knows well.’
Stephen ‘Hoops’ Hooper, Team UK captain for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, said: ‘This will mean the world to Team UK, not only so their friends and family can watch them compete, but so the British public can cheer them on.
‘Birmingham is a special place for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, as they all come through here at some point.
‘With support from the Royal British Legion for Team UK, Invictus has helped me embrace life again. As we prepare for Canada next year, it’s great to know the Games
The UK government-backed bid focused on the NEC, and drew on connection to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Selly Oak, which treats wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans; the Royal College of Defence Medicine, which trains UK clinicians; and the world class Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Stanford Hall.
Prince Harry attended the Invictus Games Orlando alongside Michelle Obama in May 2016
Defence Secretary John Healey said: ‘I know the Ministry of Defence and the people of Birmingham will warmly welcome teams from around the world to support military personnel injured in conflict.
‘The Invictus Games are an important chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies and support those who defend us.’
Helen Helliwell, chief executive of Invictus Games Birmingham 2027, said the event would be ‘the most cohesive, sustainable event in Invictus Games history’ with legacy programmes benefiting communities nationwide.
Pickleball – one of the new sports – combines elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis and is played both indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court and with a slightly modified tennis net.
Two or four players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a perforated polymer ball, over the net.
Charles and William backed Harry at the Invictus Games in London in September 2014
Laser run is a combined event, with competitors alternating between shooting a laser pistol and running.
International competitions of video gaming or esports – electronic sports – have been increasing in prominence.
Gamers from across the world gathered in Saudi Arabia earlier this month to face each other in the first Esports World Cup.
Esports has featured at previous Invictus but only as a side event rather than in the main scheduled competition.
Invictus Games Foundation chief executive Dominic Reid announced last week he was stepping down after ten years in the role, with Harry paying tribute to his dedication, leadership and ‘relentless service’.
The winning bid decision was made by the foundation’s board of trustees.
Harry, who served on the front line in Afghanistan, was inspired to set up the global tournament 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.