Uganda will compete at next year’s Invictus Games in Birmingham after a senior adviser to King Charles III assured the country that the monarch had no objection to its participation.

Kampala, Uganda (Running Africa) — Uganda has reversed its decision to withdraw from the 2027 Invictus Games, days after military chief General Muhoozi Kainerugaba pulled the country from the Prince Harry-founded competition over concerns that participation could be interpreted as opposing King Charles III.

Kainerugaba, Uganda’s chief of defense forces, announced the reversal following a telephone conversation with Sir Clive Alderton, the King’s principal private secretary.

Uganda will now resume preparations to compete at the 2027 Games in Birmingham.

Uganda Returns to Invictus Games After Palace Conversation

Colonel Chris Magezi, Uganda’s acting director of defense public information, said Alderton told Kainerugaba that the King had been “moved” by Uganda’s consideration of his position but had no objection to the country participating in the Invictus Games.

According to Magezi, Uganda was encouraged to resume preparations for the competition.

The development reverses a decision announced by Kainerugaba last week, when he said Uganda did not want its participation in the Games to be interpreted as taking a position against King Charles.

Muhoozi Kainerugaba Reverses Uganda Withdrawal

Uganda’s initial withdrawal attracted attention because the Invictus Games were founded by Prince Harry in 2014 to support wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans through international sporting competition.

The withdrawal followed a reiteration from Buckingham Palace that Harry and Meghan are no longer working members of the Royal Family and carry out their charitable activities as private citizens.

Uganda’s concerns centered on how its participation might be perceived rather than an objection publicly expressed by the King.

The subsequent conversation with Alderton appears to have addressed those concerns, clearing the way for Uganda to return.

Uganda Set for 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham

Uganda joined the Invictus Games community in July, becoming its 26th participating nation.

The 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham, scheduled for July, will bring together wounded, injured and sick serving military personnel and veterans from participating countries for a multi-sport competition.

Uganda’s participation will provide its military veterans and service personnel with an opportunity to compete on the international stage as the country makes its Invictus Games debut.

Invictus Games Foundation Welcomes Uganda’s Return

The Invictus Games Foundation welcomed Uganda’s decision to return to the event following the brief withdrawal.

The reversal brings an end, for now, to uncertainty over Uganda’s participation and allows preparations for Birmingham 2027 to resume.

For Uganda, the episode also highlights the unusual diplomatic sensitivities surrounding its first appearance at an event founded by Prince Harry, while the latest clarification makes clear that the country’s participation is not being treated as opposition to King Charles.