An expert says it’s ‘definitely possible’ for Prince Harry to get back in ‘good’ standing with the British public and the 2027 Invictus Games are his ‘narrow path back.’
Prince Harry is working on getting back into the British public’s “good” graces. How? By taking the Invictus Games to England in 2027. An expert says the Duke of Sussex, 39, has a shot at regaining some ground where his popularity is concerned. Although it won’t be easy. Harry has to navigate an “obstacle course” but it’s “definitely possible.”
Birmingham, England, is hosting the 2027 Invictus Games
It’s back to England for the Invictus Games come 2027. They were held in London, England, in 2014, and now they’re going to Birmingham, England.
The Invictus Games Foundation announced Birmingham as the next host in a statement on its official website on July 22, 2024.
“Your city’s strong ties to the armed forces community made it a formidable contender from the very start,” Harry said in the statement.
“We have no doubt the people of Birmingham will join in celebrating the unwavering respect and admiration we have for our veteran and service community, showing the world how their courage ignites hope and unites us all—something your city knows well.”
Birmingham beat out Washington, D.C., to host, which would’ve seen Harry—and Meghan, who has joined Harry at every competition since 2017—head to the nation’s capital.
But first, Whistler and Vancouver, Canada, will serve as the setting for the 2025 Invictus Games where, for the first time, winter sports will be featured.
The Invictus Games are Harry’s ‘path’ to restoring his reputation in Britain
The announcement of taking the Invictus Games to England might have raised a few eyebrows, but according to Edward Coram James, a PR expert and chief executive of media agency Go Up, it could help Harry restore his reputation across the pond.
“Through Invictus, it’s definitely possible,” Coram James told Newsweek. “He’s got an obstacle course” and “a tightrope that he needs to walk.”
“There’s a very narrow path through for him reputationally. But that path is Invictus. His narrow path back into the good books of the British public is Invictus. I think having it in the U.K. is actually very sensible for that.”
Harry’s popularity soared in Britain before he left royal life in 2020 and relocated to California with Meghan Markle. According to the outlet, his peak approval rating once soared to 81 percent among U.K. adults. In the years since his popularity has fallen drastically.
Harry has a chance to ‘shift the narrative’ about him in Britain with the 2027 games
“He stopped being popular because his name started to become associated with attacking the royal family,” Coram James continued. First came the Oprah interview in 2021. Then Netflix’s 2022 Harry & Meghan docuseries and, most recently, Harry’s 2023 Spare memoir.
“The way to mitigate that is to have his name associated once again with the stuff that made him popular in the first place, like Invictus. From a reputational point of view, that will have been taken into consideration by him.”
He’ll have thought, “‘Let’s shift the narrative here. Let’s remind the British people of the thing that made me popular in the first place.’”
“‘Let’s reassociate my name with veterans with the military service, with duty and honor, and all the stuff I’m basically being accused of not having anymore. And let’s see if that moves the needle.’”
“My best bet is that it will,” the expert concluded.
