Prince Harry's Invictus Games loses support of 'baffled' Help For Heroes charity

Prince Harry's annual sporting competition, the Invictus Games, will no longer receive support from Help For Heroes, the Ministry of Defence has decided. 

• Prince Harry's Invictus Games will no longer receive the support of Help For Heroes, following a decision made by the Ministry of Defence. 
• Help For Heroes has contributed to the selection, training, and development of veterans for the annual sports event since it was founded by the Duke of Sussex in 2014. 
• In other royal news, Prince William’s adorable nod to Kate Middleton as he undertakes major duty ahead of Jubilee weekend.
  

The Duke of Sussex's Invictus Games has lost one of its main supporters following a decision made by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). 

Help For Heroes had been involved with the international sporting competition for wounded veterans since it was founded by Prince Harry in 2014, working alongside the Royal British Legion (RBL) on the recruitment, training, and development of its UK team. 

However, it has now been announced that the Ministry of Defence has pulled the British charity's collaboration with the Invictus Games - signifying the end of an eight-year-long relationship. From now on, the RBL will be solely responsible for veterans' preparation for the annual event until 2028. A spokesperson for the MoD has said that the switch will allow for "secure funding" and "more personnel to support the team." 

The news comes just a month after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended the Invictus Games 2022 at The Hague in Amsterdam, marking their first joint trip to Europe since stepping back as senior royals in January 2020. 

Lis Skeet, the services director of Help For Heroes, confirmed the organization's withdrawal as a partner of the Invictus Games. 

“Help For Heroes is incredibly proud to have trained, supported, and delivered Team UK for the past five Invictus Games," she said. 

“However, following extensive discussions, it has been decided by the MoD that the Royal British Legion will lead the end-to-end delivery of Team UK to the Invictus Games for the next five years and will also be the main funder of the programme. Unfortunately, therefore, we will no longer be directly involved in Invictus Team UK.”

It also appears that Help For Heroes, which normally raises about £27 million for the Invictus Games, isn't exactly approving of MoD's actions. The charity is reportedly 'baffled' by the move, but doesn't seem to have the power to overrule it. 

"We want to emphasise that this was not a decision we made ourselves. We know The Games continues to play a unique role in shining a light on the abilities of wounded veterans," Lis continued. 

“The MoD considered proposals from the Invictus UK partnership and have chosen this route moving forwards.

“Our focus now is on helping more people across the UK, within their communities, as part of keeping our promise to be here for wounded veterans for as long as they need us.”

Lis signed off her message with words of encouragement for their friends at the Invictus Games, promising "to cheer on Team UK" as they "look forward to seeing what the Invictus Games achieves in the future.”