Meghan Markle Swerves U.K. Visit

Prince Harry will attend a U.K. service in honor of his Invictus Games tournament without Meghan Markle before the couple jointly visit Nigeria.

The Duke of Sussex will return to his country of birth to mark the 10-year anniversary of his Olympics-style event for injured forces veterans on May 8.

There will be a "Service of Thanksgiving" at St. Paul's Cathedral, which may bring back mixed memories since it is where Harry and Meghan were booed by some royal fans at a service honoring Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, in June 2022.

The Duchess of Sussex is not expected to be there and her absence may be perceived as significant after the couple's ongoing narrative that they were effectively driven out of the U.K. by hostility from the tabloid media and following a number of broadsides against Harry's family.

Meghan will, however, join Harry shortly afterwards in Nigeria for a separate visit, also connected to the games.

The Invictus Games Foundation wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter: "The Invictus Games Foundation will celebrate 10 years of changing lives and saving lives with a 'Service of Thanksgiving' at St. Paul's Cathedral on May 8th.

"We will be joined by our patron, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, actor Damian Lewis and members of the worldwide Invictus Community to mark the occasion."

Newsweek has approached the Sussexes for comment.

Nigeria's Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, director defense information, said in a press statement: "The Defence Headquarters has expressed its honor and delight for the acceptance of the Duke of Sussex, His Royal Highness Prince Harry, and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan to visit Nigeria in May 2024.

"During their stay in the country, they will be meeting with Service members
and will be hosted to arrays of cultural activities."

Nigeria joined the Invictus Games for the first time in 2022 and the team made its debut at the 2023 tournament, in Germany.

"The visit is to consolidate Nigeria's strong hold at the games and the possibility of hosting the event [in] later years," Gusau said. "The Honorable Minister of Defense, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Badaru who was in Germany at last year's event, has accepted to host the games when granted to Nigeria."

Harry and Meghan remain a controversial subject in Britain where public attitudes to the couple continue to be hostile, though not everyone agrees.

Kriss Akabusi, a former British Olympic athlete, told GB News the Invictus Games service should be a moment for the country to get behind a good cause: "I wanted to have a positive spin on this. I think we should celebrate his 10 years of the Invictus Games, where people who've had all sorts of life-changing injuries compete at the highest level.

"He was such a strong advocate at the very beginning. It wouldn't be what it is today, without his profile, his energy, his experiences as a soldier.

"When I think how we've battered him, when I mean we, I mean the talking media, over the last couple of years, rightly or wrongly. I don't join in."

"He's not a beast," he added.

Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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