PEOPLE
Meghan Markle will not join Prince Harry on his upcoming trip to London to mark a milestone anniversary of the Invictus Games.
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, will not accompany her husband during his trip to the U.K. in early May for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. Prince Harry founded the adaptive sports tournament for service personnel and veterans in 2014, and the inaugural Invictus Games were held in London. On May 8, the anniversary will be celebrated with a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in the heart of the city, with the Duke of Sussex, 39, set to deliver a reading.
Prince Harry and Meghan relocated to her home state of California after stepping back from their royal roles in 2020, and the Duchess of Sussex was last in the U.K. in September 2022. The couple was in Europe for a series of events with some of their longtime charities when Queen Elizabeth died at age 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stayed abroad for the funerary events that followed before returning home to the U.S. and reuniting with their son, Prince Archie, 4, and daughter, Princess Lilibet, 2. Prince Harry has made several solo trips to England since, including for various court cases against British newspaper groups, the coronation of his father King Charles in May 2023 and most recently to visit his dad following the news of the monarch’s cancer diagnosis.
The Invictus Games anniversary service on May 8 at St. Paul’s Cathedral is expected to be attended by representatives from across the tournament’s participating nations, including members of the wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veteran community. Community members, supporters and beneficiaries will also give readings and participate in the service, which will be led by The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Dean of St. Paul’s.
The cathedral is where the future King Charles and Princess Diana married in 1981.
Following the Duke of Sussex’s May visit to the U.K. for the Invictus Games anniversary, which will include multiple other Invictus Games Foundation-related events, he will be joined by Meghan in Nigeria. PEOPLE confirms that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have accepted an invitation to visit the African country next month on behalf of its Chief of Defense Staff, the highest-ranking military official.
