Prince Harry made a rare virtual appearance on the same day his embattled and estranged royal family members attended the annual Trooping the Colour.
“It is an honor to be sending this message as you all gather in Düsseldort for another Invictus sporting title,” Prince Harry, 41, said in a Saturday, June 13, video shared via the Invictus Games’ official Instagram Stories. “Germany is setting a powerful example of what it means to honor service with dignity and enduring commitment. We are now gathered for the second Invictus Germany Sports Festival, welcoming 11 nations.”
The estranged prince added, “And what you’ve created here is already helping shape the inaugural Invictus Australia Sports Festival later this year.”
Harry’s virtual appearance and remarks during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Invictus Germany Sports Festival — an offshoot of the prince’s Invictus Games, a multisporting event for wounded, injured or sick military service personnel and veterans founded by the royal in 2014 — came the same day his father, King Charles III, celebrated his annual birthday parade and military flypast.
The king’s wife, Queen Camilla, and his other son, Prince William, were all in attendance, along with Princess Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was noticeably absent from the family’s celebratory event as he continues to experience the legal and cultural fallout of his controversial friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In February, authorities confirmed that the disgraced royal family member was taken into custody on “suspicion of misconduct in public office” for allegedly sharing classified information with Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. The investigation has since expanded to include accusations of sexual misconduct. Andrew has denied all allegations levied against him.
“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence,” Buckingham Palace shared in a statement. “Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
The statement concluded, “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
As for Prince Harry, he remains estranged from members of his royal family, though insiders previously told Us Weekly that he is slowly but surely repairing his relationship with his father after the pair shared an emotional reunion two years in the making.
“The meeting was sparked by a handwritten letter from Harry earlier this year to Charles expressing his desire to reconnect,” a source exclusively explained to Us in September 2025. “They were not sure it was going to happen until just in the last week.”
Harry’s visit with his father was said to be “super positive and very relaxed.” He has yet to repair his relationship with his brother William, however, after moving to California with wife Meghan Markle and leaving life as a senior working royal behind.
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