Uganda pulls out of Invictus Games over 'Harry-Meghan nonsense': Military chief says they're withdrawing from prince's event out of respect for Charles amid row over King's letter

Uganda has pulled out of the Duke of Sussex's Invictus Games because of the 'Harry-Meghan nonsense', with its military chief insisting: 'I support the monarch.'General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, head of the country's armed forces, insisted this morning that he did not want to be 'construed as being opposed to His Majesty'.It comes two days after King Charles confirmed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were still not working royals and were not allowed to use their HRH titles.General Kainerugaba, the president's son, said in a post on X: 'In order not to be construed as being opposed to His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom, whom we deeply revere, Uganda hereby withdraws from the Invictus Games.'We shall not participate in anything that does not have His Majesty's approval.'Asked by The Times why he made the announcement, General Kainerugaba said: 'I have factions in the Ministry of Defence that support that Harry-Meghan nonsense. I had to quash it straight away. I support the monarch. Period.'Veteran royal reporter Richard Palmer described the intervention as 'extraordinary'.It comes only two months after Uganda's defence minister Kiryowa Kiwanuka posed for photographs with a smiling Harry at an Invictus Games gathering in London.During the ceremony at Chatham House on July 7, Uganda was announced as the 26th country in the Invictus Games community and the first from east Africa. Prince Harry meets a delegation from Uganda during at an event at Chatham House in London on July 8 as the country was announced the newest Invictus Games community member Prince Harry and Invictus boss Rob Owen (left) present a commemorative plaque in London in July to Kiryowa Kiwanuka (second left), Uganda's Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs General Muhoozi Kainerugaba of Uganda says the country is pulling out of the Invictus GamesHarry posed for a picture with Uganda's delegates and held a roundel with the nation's name - making the guests laugh as he jokingly held it like a frisbee. The 41-year-old duke had been visiting the UK at the time for a week-long series of events marking a year until Birmingham hosts the Invictus Games in July 2027.The competition is a Paralympics-style event launched by the King's son in 2014 to aid the recovery of injured or sick military veterans and servicemen and women.General Kainerugaba's father Yoweri Museveni, whom he hopes to succeed as president, described Charles as 'our good friend in the conservation of nature' in a condolence message following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.Mr Museveni also sent a congratulatory message for his coronation eight months later in May 2023, citing 'brotherly and cordial relations' between Britain and Uganda.Elizabeth made the last visit by a UK monarch to Uganda in 2007, when she attended a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala with Charles.This week, Harry and Meghan were understood to have been surprised by the King's formal reiteration they will be treated as 'private citizens' and did not have enough time to clarify any points before the guidance was issued to the media.Harry's father Charles asked the Royal Household's most senior officer the Lord Chamberlain to write to senior stakeholders within the Government and the military setting out guidelines on their status.The letter was revealed to the media at 3.06pm on Monday. It is understood the contents were shared with Harry and Meghan's team about an hour before at 1.59pm.Team Sussex sent a response back to Buckingham Palace at 2.19pm asking whether the guidance had already gone out, in the hope of letting the duke and duchess know ahead of the media, and for the team to have the chance to clarify one or two points. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at a David Foster Foundation event in Canada on August 7 Queen Elizabeth II made the last visit by a UK monarch to Uganda in November 2007, pictured with Prince Philip meeting President Yoweri Kaguta and his wife Janet in KampalaMeanwhile, Harry, who was pictured at Tower Bridge Studios in London in an Instagram post by the recording studios on Monday, was in a meeting and could not be contacted until 3.09pm when he was told a letter had been drafted and his team were seeking guidance on whether it had been distributed.Team Sussex then received confirmation at 3.11pm it had already been sent to the media. A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said: 'We were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance.'The disclosure of the private behind-the-scenes dealings is likely to fuel speculation of growing tension between the Sussexes and the Royal Household, just two weeks after Harry and Meghan returned to the UK.The letter was revealed ahead of a reported meeting this week of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which is responsible for making decisions about royal security.Harry is waiting to hear the conclusion of the Risk Management Board's threat assessment and Ravec is expected to decide at the meeting as to whether the Sussex family should be entitled to taxpayer-funded security now they live in the UK.Lord Benyon's letter reiterated the King's stance in August, when Harry and Meghan announced their return, that there would be no alteration to their role and status as private individuals and non-working royals.It read: 'It follows that there is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Their styles as His and Her Royal Highness remain in abeyance and are not used.'The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity. In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.'The Sussexes stepped down as working royals in 2020 amid the Megxit crisis and moved to the US for a new life of personal and financial freedom.But the couple has now moved back for an 'extended period', enrolling their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in British schools, amid rumours Meghan is to return to acting while based in the UK.