'The Sussex soap opera is destroying Invictus': Uganda's decision to quit Games is a 'warning' to Harry and Meghan that the royal briefing war threatens their brand, PR experts say

Harry and Meghan's swipes at the King after he called them 'private citizens' threatens the future of the Invictus Games, one of Britain's leading PR gurus claimed today.

Mark Borkowski said Uganda's decision to pull out of Birmingham 2027 out of respect for Charles III should serve as a stark warning to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Mr Borkowski said that 'briefing furiously' against the King and portraying themselves as victims does not resonate with the public, yet 'they keep making the same mistake'.

He told the Daily Mail: '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.

'Harry and Meghan want the freedoms of private citizens but the power of royalty, and they brief furiously whenever anyone points out the contradiction.'

Uganda's outspoken military chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced yesterday that the country would not participate in the 2027 Invictus Games because of 'that Harry-Meghan nonsense', adding: 'I support the monarch. Period'.

It came hours after the Sussexes renewed their criticism of the King's decision to classify them as 'private citizens' and make clear they are no longer working royals in a letter released following their return to Britain.

Harry and Meghan, pictured at Invictus in 2023, are risking the future of the Games by fighting with the King, a leading PR expert has said

Combative statements and extraordinary claims in briefings by sources close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have dominated headlines since the King released his letter on Monday.

Mr Borkowski said: '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.

'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.' 

On Monday King Charles confirmed Harry and Meghan were still not working royals despite returning to the UK and were not allowed to use their HRH titles.

Just two months ago, Uganda’s defence minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka posed for photographs with a smiling Harry at an Invictus Games gathering in London. 

But General Kainerugaba, the president’s son, said in a post on X yesterday: ‘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.

‘We shall not participate in anything that does not have His Majesty’s approval.’

Asked by The Times why he made the announcement, General Kainerugaba 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.’

Last night the Sussexes appear to have blamed Uganda's decision on the King's letter.

Today it was revealed that fewer than one in six Britons want Harry and Meghan to return as working members of the Royal Family now they are back in the UK.

This week King Charles made it clear the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain 'private citizens'. And a major poll reveals a majority of the British public agree it should stay that way. 

YouGov asked 4,506 adults whether the Sussexes should become working members of the Royal Family again 'at some point' now they are back in Britain.

Just more than half (51 per cent) said they would rather the couple did not return to official duties.

Less than a sixth (16 per cent) said they should become working royals again, while a third (33 per cent) said they did not know.

The poll was conducted on Wednesday, a day after the Sussexes hit back at Buckingham Palace after it released a letter of 'guidance' confirming the couple were not returning as working royals.

Harry and Meghan then hit out at the King's decision to label them 'private citizens' – reportedly because they want to be known as 'public figures' instead.

Their spokesman said on Tuesday the couple were 'surprised' by its release – and claimed they did not have enough time to respond before it was circulated.

Rather than accept the letter, which said nothing had changed since 'Megxit' – briefings by sources close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a string of extraordinary claims.

Team Sussex has suggested that, despite being given just over an hour's notice of the impending release, Palace aides did not give Harry enough time to 'clarify one or two points' in the letter written by the Lord Chamberlain on His Majesty's instruction.

In particular, the Sussexes seem to have taken issue with the statement that they should not be treated like royalty. 

'In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests,' the letter read.

The Palace also made the point the letter was in full accordance with the Sussexes' stated wish to remain 'private citizens while in the UK' and in keeping with the 'Sandringham Summit' agreement of 2020, after which the couple set up a new life in the US.

This prompted a jaw-dropping briefing to the Telegraph, which read: 'The duke is understood to have taken particular issue with the notion that the couple were to be treated as private citizens. If that were the case, it was claimed, such formal guidance would not be required.

'The Sussexes prefer the term "public figures", and would have liked an acknowledgement that, on a personal level, they remained members of the Royal Family, despite no longer receiving public funding.'

Buckingham Palace declined to comment, feeling the letter is sufficient.

But insiders suggested this insistence they be classed as 'public figures' who want their royal links burnished in public is evidence why the Sussexes' preferred 'half-in, half-out' model would never be sustainable alongside their commercial activities.

In a letter of 'guidance' released on King Charles' behalf, the Palace confirmed that the Sussexes have not returned to be working royals

A Sussex spokesman also suggested they had been caught 'off guard' by the King's announcement, which was a letter written by Lord Benyon to officials across the country.

Team Sussex claimed the letter's contents were shared with them at 1.59pm.

They replied at 2.19pm 'in the hope' the Sussexes could have 'the chance to clarify one or two points'.

Unbeknown to the Palace, Harry was visiting Tower Bridge Studios in London and 'could not be contacted' until 3.09pm.

At 3.11pm, they received confirmation it had already been sent to the media five minutes earlier.

Sources close to the couple have suggested the letter was timed to come ahead of a meeting yesterday of the Ravec security body.

They believe this may have been an attempt to influence the committee on whether to reinstate Harry's taxpayer-funded security.

But the Daily Mail understands such claims are incorrect and the letter was sent out to offer clarity ahead of a busy programme for the Sussexes. 

Those close to the King also think the move could make it easier for him to see his son privately.