Why Prince Harry's Invictus Games Could Reunite Him with King Charles (Exclusive)
- - - Why Prince Harry's Invictus Games Could Reunite Him with King Charles (Exclusive)
Simon PerryJuly 11, 2025 at 2:30 AM
LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty
Prince Harry and King Charles on September 14, 2022
Helen Helliwell, CEO of the Invictus Games in Birmingham, tells PEOPLE that she hopes Prince Harry and members of the British royal family will be in attendance at the 2027 event
While Helliwell says "it’s too soon to confirm who's going to be there," they "would very much welcome their presence"
She adds the Duke of Sussex "really brings a magical sparkle dust to his interactions, and there is a really special relationship with him and the community"
Prince Harry's creation of the Invictus Games is heading back to where it all began — and Harry and other members of the royal family will be there to see it.
That’s the hope of the woman tasked with organizing the next iteration of the Duke of Sussex’s adaptive sports contest for wounded, injured and sick armed forces members and veterans.
Two years to the day before the games are held in Birmingham, U.K., work is well underway and more than $5.5 million in commercial help has been secured.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, the creator of the event that started in 2014, will likely be among the crowds.
"We will be delighted if they come over for the year out and for the Games,” Helen Helliwell, CEO of the Invictus Games in Birmingham, tells PEOPLE. “We are so far out it’s impossible for one individual to confirm their plans, but we would be delighted if the Duke were able to come.”
She adds, "I’ve seen the impact. His passion is unsurpassed. He really brings a magical sparkle dust to his interactions, and there is a really special relationship with him and the community. So, we will be super excited to host him in Birmingham as well.”
"He founded it and put on the first Games in 2014. That was his vision that's been realized, and it's just grown and grown and grown," Helliwell continues. "So to have it back in the U.K. for this eighth iteration, I think, is really special. I think it's going to be a really special moment for the whole country. But particularly, I think a real sense of pride for him in seeing just how far that movement has come."
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Prince William, Prince Charles and Prince Harry at the Invictus Games on Sept. 11, 2014
Last month, reports said that Prince Harry's father, King Charles, will be invited. Asked if she hopes the King, as head of the armed forces in the U.K. will be there, Helliwell tells PEOPLE the royal family members are "supporters of the Armed Forces. They’ve been supporters of Invictus since inception in 2014."
"Again, we're two years away, and it’s too soon to confirm who's going to be there. But obviously, we'd be delighted if members of the royal family were able to attend and would very much welcome their presence in a couple of years’ time.”
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Work is already well underway in planning for the games. “There are such deep connections here with the armed forces [in Birmingham]," Helliwell explains. "Queen Elizabeth Hospital treats our wounded and sick, and the Fisher House, which looks after families while the loved ones are being treated, are here. And then some of our military medics are trained at the Royal College of Defense Medicine. Then, of course, we've got the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Center and the reason as well. So really deep connection with the armed forces and then Birmingham just really well, world-renowned for putting on amazing events like the Commonwealth Games."
Now, they have raised more commercial backing but are broadening it now to smaller, more local companies, called the Champions Programme. “We know they are super-supportive of the armed forces, and we are hoping to tap into that support,” Helliwell says
“So the funding will help us put on an amazing Games for the 550 athletes from 20 nations around the globe," she adds. "But also then create this impact program which we really wanna see and the run up to the games and afterwards.”
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Helen Helliwell attends the flag raising ceremony after announcement Birmingham will host the 2027 Invictus Games on July 23, 2024
With it being more than 10 years old now, many in the movement are surprised it has lasted so long after Britain and its allies are out of major combat. (New venues are being sought for 2029.)
“We're not in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but our armed forces are incredibly operationally busy. And unfortunately, they do get wounded or injured in the course of their duties,” Helliwell says. “They're out there defending the nation day in, day out and on our behalf every day. And their sacrifices are extraordinary."
"When you look at the community of nations that participate and you think about Ukraine and the things that they're experiencing right now, it kind of feels like we have a real sense of moral responsibility to keep the Games going, to help those other countries that are in high conflict operations right now," she adds.
The Birmingham Invictus Games will have new sports too: pickleball and laser run, which is like a biathlon, “where you shoot at a target, then you run or wheel around a track, depending on your adaptive needs.”
There will be e-sports, or gaming, too. “We hope that will bring a new audience,” she says.
Eric Charbonneau/Invictus Games Foundation via Getty
Prince Harry at the Invictus Games in Canada on Feb. 13, 2025
As the day nears, the armed forces in the U.K. are doing their bit to keep the buzz going. An Invictus Games flag is currently traveling the globe on a British ship among the carrier strike group. “You can imagine the crews of the ship are having some fun with it and taking it to some fun with it and they will take it to some interesting places,” she says. “They’re all colleagues. They all know someone who has been injured, wounded or sick. It is meaningful for our armed forces community as well.”
It’s a long way off, but they already have plans to make the opening and closing ceremonies as good as ever. She teases, “I’ve got a wish list," adding, "They had Katy Perry and Coldplay and Jelly Roll in Vancouver, so we want to attract the best.”
Helliwell adds, “Imagine your big pop concert, but with all the military pizazz. It'll be, be something really special. We’re going to attract some fantastic acts that people want to come and see, and which will really help the armed forces feel celebrated and acknowledged as well.”
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