PRINCE Harry’s first public role since his return to the UK has been revealed.
Confirmation of the Duke of Sussex’s first “public engagements” comes days after King Charles‘ bombshell letter insisting Harry and Meghan remain “private citizens”.
Despite the growing row, Harry will attend the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards and the launch of the Invictus education programme INSPIRE, as well as taking part in one of his favourite annual occasions, the WellChild Awards this month.
Harry and Meghan were said to be “surprised” by the formal letter sent by the Lord Chamberlain under the direction of the King to senior stakeholders in the Government and military.
The duke and duchess, who are waiting to hear whether they will be given taxpayer-funded security, are reported to prefer the term “public figures” instead.
Full details of Harry’s appearances including the dates have yet to be published but the events were described by his team as his “September public engagements”.
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His appearances will include the first ever Invictus Spirit Awards which will celebrate individuals, organisations and communities who “embody the resilience, service and unconquered spirit at the heart of the international Invictus Movement”.
This comes after Uganda withdrew from the 2027 games with General Muhoozi Kainerugaba saying he would not compete without the King’s approval.
Kainerugaba added that he felt compelled to do away with the “Harry-Meghan nonsense”.
The Sussexes blamed Uganda’s decision to pull out of the games on King Charles’ letter over their royal status.
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The couple, who were given around an hour’s notice of the release of the letter on Monday, did not have time to clarify any of the points.
Kainerugaba, son of the Ugandan president, told The Times the nation had “withdrawn support” for the Invictus Games amid the ongoing royal row between Harry, Meghan and the Monarch.
He 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.”
At the launch of the INSPIRE programme, Harry will play pickleball with school pupils and participate in an assembly.
Designed by teachers for learners from early years through to Key Stage 5, the programme uses the Invictus Games and the stories of its competitors to create national curriculum-aligned resources in maths, English, Stem, art, performing arts, sport and PSHE (personal, social, health and economic) education.
Harry has been patron of WellChild – the national charity for seriously ill children and their families – since 2007 and regularly attends the awards ceremony.
The engagement is described as “continuing his long association with WellChild as the charity’s patron”, with the awards, which he has attended 15 times, being a “significant part of his annual programme”.
He will meet this year’s winners and their families, carers and health professionals to hear about their experiences supporting children with serious and complex health needs.
The Sussexes are said to be “happy to be back” in the UK, and getting Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet settled at school “remains their focus”.
A source close to Harry and Meghan told the US magazine People: “Everything else will fall into place when the time is right”.
Harry and Meghan stepped away from the working monarchy six years ago in search of personal and financial freedom in the US.
Two weeks ago, they moved back, having enrolled their children Archie and Lili in British schools, with Meghan rumoured to be returning to acting again.
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In January 2020, the duke and duchess had announced they intended to step back as “senior” members of the royal family, become financially independent, still support Queen Elizabeth II, but split their time between the UK and North America.
But the late Queen ruled at the Sandringham Summit, which was convened to resolve the Megxit crisis, that the couple could not be half in and half out – with the King recently asserting the agreement still stands.