It’s only been two weeks since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrived back in the United Kingdom but the couple with a talent for drama have already found themselves accused of setting up a “rival court” and have launched a spat with King Charles III over the release of a letter that says they won’t be returning to royal duties and should be treated as private citizens.

But if that’s not enough, Harry and his American wife also have found themselves in conflict with a top Ugandan general over his country’s decision Wednesday to withdraw from Harry’s Invictus Games in 2027, with the general saying he doesn’t want his country’s Ministry of Defense caught up in “that Harry-Meghan nonsense,” the Daily Mail reported.

It’s not entirely clear what exactly Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba meant when he referred to that “that Harry-Meghan nonsense” while talking to the Times of London about Uganda’s withdrawal from the Invictus Games, the Daily Mail reported. But Kainerugaba, the son of President Yoweri Museveni and his likely successor, said on X Wednesday that he didn’t want Uganda’s participation in the Invictus Games to be seen as an act of disloyalty to Charles.

“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,” Kainerugaba said on X.

In response to Uganda’s decision to withdraw from the Paralympic-style games for wounded veterans and service personnel, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess struck a defensive tone, according to a report by ITV News.

In a statement to ITV News, the spokesperson blamed the king and the head of the Royal Household for sending out the letter Monday afternoon on the king’s behalf. Harry and Meghan were reportedly surprised and blindsided by the release of the letter and have complained that they did not have a chance to read it over and weigh in on its contents.

“Intended or unintended, this is clearly a consequence of the Lord Chamberlain’s guidance regarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that was rushed out without consultation on Monday,” the spokesperson told ITV News. “Sadly, the only people who will suffer are the Invictus Games competitors.”

Harry and Meghan may have been especially concerned that the letter referred to them as “private citizens,” according to the Daily Mail. The Sun reported Tuesday that Harry and Meghan were annoyed that the letter didn’t refer to them as “public figures.” The Sussex team may think the Ugandan military would have been more willing to participate in the international sporting event if Harry and Meghan were “public figures.” The Invictus Games were co-founded by Harry in 2014 and are closely associated with him and his brand. The 2027 games will take place in Birmingham.

From the Sussexes perspective, Uganda’s withdrawal would certainly come as a surprise, given that Uganda’s defense minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka posed with Harry at an Invictus Games gathering in London in early July. During that event, Uganda declared itself as the 26th country to join the competition and the first from east Africa.

But two months later, Uganda has changed its mind, a move that veteran royal reporter Richard Palmer described as extraordinary.

It’s possible that there were conflicts within Uganda’s military over whether the country should participate in Harry’s Invictus Games, as Kainerugaba himself suggested to the Times.

“I have factions in the Ministry of Defense that support that Harry-Meghan nonsense,” he said. “I had to quash it straight away. I support the monarch. Period.” Kainerugaba also said that Ugandan soldiers “would not participate in anything that does not have His Majesty’s approval.”

President Museveni has previously described Charles as a “good friend” of Uganda, the Daily Mail reported. Following the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Museveni paid tribute to Charles ahead of his coronation in May 2023, citing the “brotherly and cordial relations” between Britain and Uganda.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the controversy, the Daily Mail reported. But “it is understood” that Charles — who is the head and commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces — encourages all organizations and events that support wounded service personnel, the Daily Mail also said.

Another royal expert, Tom Sykes, said on The Royalist Substack that it’s possible that the Ugandan military soured on participating in Harry’s Invictus Games — long before the royal household released the letter.

“One can’t help but wonder whether Uganda’s decision to pull out might also be related to the fact Harry charged home without proper consultation to a country whose most revered institution he spent six years trashing as a vile, racist, snobbish, class-bound nest of vipers hell bent on ruining his life, who wouldn’t mind seeing him dead,” Sykes wrote. “Just a thought!”

The letter was sent out Monday afternoon to senior officials in the British government and military. Its purpose was to clarify Harry and Meghan’s status, now that they have moved back to the U.K. after six years in California.

Royal journalists have pointed out that the letter basically said nothing new about their status. They also question why Harry and Meghan should expect to be consulted on any communication between the king and officials in the British government — especially if they are private citizens.

The letter affirmed the so-called “Sandringham Summit” agreement Harry and Meghan made with the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2020 — that they would became nonworking members of the royal family as they moved to the United States to pursue commercial opportunities. Then and now, the agreement meant they would be treated as private citizens and not represent the king or the British government when they appear in public. The agreement also ruled out any “half-in and half-out” status — the idea that Harry and Meghan could still carry out royal duties while pursuing outside, commercial activities.

The Daily Mail’s senior editor-at-large Richard Kay explained that the letter was issued in response to “the high level of confusion and uncertainty” created by Harry and Meghan’s sudden return to the U.K. — after reportedly giving the king fewer than two weeks notice about their return.

But since their return to the U.K., the Sussexes appear to have been stoking much confusion by having their friends leak details of their plans to certain media outlets, including their plans to step up their charity work, Kay said. Even more concerning, according to Kay, people close to the king also have been irritated by talk about the Sussexes establishing “some kind of rival court.”

_____

©2026 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at mercurynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.