Prince Harry's veterans sports tournament, the Invictus Games, is headed back to his home country in 2027 after Birmingham in England was announced as the host city for the multi-day event.
Both Birmingham and the U.S. capital, Washington D.C., were being considered for the job by the Invictus Games Foundation, with the British city's National Exhibition Centre being settled on as the main venue.
The Invictus Games was initiated as a sports tournament to showcase the mental and physical rehabilitation of wounded, sick and injured veterans in 2014 by Prince Harry.
The first games were held that same year in London. The Birmingham event will be the eighth, having previously been held in Sydney, Orlando, the Hague, Dusseldorf and Toronto.
The seventh games are set to be held in Whistler and Vancouver, Canada, next year and will be the first to incorporate winter sports events into its roster.
Speaking in his capacity as patron of the games and its foundation, Harry sent his congratulations to the city of Birmingham by way of an official press release announcing its selection.
"Congratulations to Birmingham, UK, on winning the bid to host the Invictus Games 2027," he said.
"Your city's strong ties to the Armed Forces community made it a formidable contender from the very start. 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."
Birmingham has been the host city for a number of sports events, including the Commonwealth Games in 2022 which were attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla (when still Prince and Princess of Wales) and Prince William with Princess Kate.
The decision to host the 2027 Invictus Games in Britain will bring with it a wave of speculation about Harry's relationships with his family.
In 2014, for the first games, Charles, Camilla, William and Kate all attended events to support the prince. Since his split from the monarchy in 2020, the gulf between the family has been laid bare, with Harry's Spare memoir providing a tense picture of how his relationships with family members lay.
As king, Charles may be expected more than other family members to attend in support of his son and of the games themselves. In 2022, when the event was held in the Hague, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands attended as a guest of honor.
Since 2017, before the couple's marriage, Meghan Markle has attended each of the games. It is therefore likely that speculation over her attendance will accompany the announcement that the 2027 event will be held in Britain.
The duchess has not returned to her husband's birth country (and the country from which she holds royal titles) since September 2022, when she attended charity events that occurred in the days before Queen Elizabeth II's death.
Meghan did not accompany Harry to his father's coronation in May 2023.
The news that Birmingham has been selected as the games' future host city has been welcomed by the U.K. government's newly appointed veterans minister, Al Carns.
"The Invictus Games harness the power of sport to supercharge the recovery and rehabilitation of military personnel and veterans," he said in a press release. "Our exceptional Armed Forces make countless acts of courage and selflessness in their duties and we will always support wounded, injured and sick personnel and veterans. The Invictus Games are just one way we offer lasting support to personnel and veterans facing illness or injury."
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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