The Duke of Sussex has congratulated the city of Birmingham on winning the bid to host the Invictus Games in 2027.
It will be the first time the games, founded by Prince Harry for wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans, are staged in the UK since the inaugural event in London in 2014.
It could mean a trip to the UK for Harry, who has attended all the previous games and is patron of the Invictus Games Foundation.
It could also mean a brief return to the UK for the Duchess of Sussex, who has attended recent games alongside her husband, and was pictured for the first time with Harry at Invictus in Toronto in 2017.
A UK games also raises the question of whether Harry’s father, the king; his brother, the Prince of Wales, and other members of the royal family will attend to support the event, with relationships reportedly still strained after Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary and his memoir, Spare.
The UK government-backed £26m proposal saw off competition from the US finalist Washington DC. The event will be staged at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in July in three years’ time.
Birmingham’s strong ties to the military community had made it a “formidable contender”, the duke said in a statement.
“Congratulations to Birmingham, UK, on winning the bid to host the Invictus Games 2027. Your city’s strong ties to the armed forces community made it a formidable contender from the very start.
“Over the years, we’ve seen each city bring a unique spirit and vision to life for competitors, their families and spectators. 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.”
Stephen “Hoops” Hooper, the Team UK captain for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, said: “This will mean the world to Team UK, not only so their friends and family can watch them compete, but so the British public can cheer them on.”
The UK government-backed bid focused on the NEC and drew on connections to the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Selly Oak, which treats wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, which trains UK clinicians, and the world-renowned Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Stanford Hall.
Helen Helliwell, the chief executive of the Invictus Games Birmingham 2027, said the event would be “the most cohesive, sustainable event in Invictus Games history”, with legacy programmes benefiting communities nationwide.
Harry, who served on the frontline in Afghanistan, was inspired to set up the global tournament after attending the Warrior Games in Colorado in 2013 and seeing how injured US military personnel thrived on the challenge of taking part in competitive sports that aided their recovery.
