Meghan Markle's Name Has Been Removed From Invictus Games Schedule

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex takes selfies with Invictus athletes during the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 - One Year To Go events, on September 06, 2022 in Dusseldorf, Germany — (Image credit: Getty Images)

It looks like Meghan Markle won't be participating in the Invictus Games events in any official capacity.

The Games' original schedule claimed the Duchess of Sussex would "take to the stage to host the intimate and moving glimpse into the extraordinary journeys of the Invictus Games competitors" during the closing ceremony, but these words have now been deleted, according to a report by the Daily Mail.

Instead, it looks like German TV presenter Hadnet Tesfai will be taking over the duchess' alleged role. Sources told the Mail that the event program which included Meghan had been "uploaded in error."

While Meghan may not be doing anything official for Invictus, she is still scheduled to join Prince Harry for the event in Düsseldorf, Germany, as far as we know.

The Games will take place between Sept. 9 and 16, and like every year, they will see injured or ill servicepeople and veterans from around the world compete in a series of athletic challenges such as archery, cycling and wheelchair basketball.

The annual event is close to Prince Harry's heart. He started them back in 2014, having been inspired by the U.S.' Warrior Games concept. Harry himself served in the British Army for 10 years, which included two tours of Afghanistan.

On Thursday, Harry is scheduled to attend the WellChild Awards in his native U.K., though his wife will not be joining him there. According to one royal expert's theory, the duchess is currently avoiding the U.K. as a form of "self-preservation" amid the Sussexes' ongoing conflict with the Royal Family.

TOPICS

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.