Prince Harry established the Invictus Games Foundation in 2014 with support from the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The charity now provides sport recovery opportunities for servicemen and servicewomen across 23 nations.

But now Richard Eden, the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor, has argued that ‘Harry is no longer the gift to the charity he once was.’

During the latest episode of Palace Confidential, Richard noted that when Harry launched Invictus, it was a ‘brilliant’ initiative both for him and the charity.

‘Anything associated with Harry was great,’ Richard said. ‘He was the most popular member of the royal family and it guaranteed positive publicity.’

However, using the example of Sentebale, a charity the Duke of Sussex founded in 2006, Richard said that is ‘not the case anymore’.

He said: ‘What we saw with Sentebale and what we heard from its chairman Sophie Chandauka was that actually that’s not the case anymore.

‘[Chandauka] mentioned that individuals and potential sponsors were hesitant to associate with Sentebale anymore, claiming Harry had become a “toxic” brand much like Meghan.’

Despite Richard’s acknowledgment of the Invictus Games as a ‘worthy cause’, he wondered if it should remain ‘so closely tied to Harry.’

‘It’s well established,’ Richard said, ‘Do we need him anymore?’

Richard is joined on the hit YouTube show Palace Confidential by Rebecca English, the Daily Mail’s Royal Editor, and host Jo Elvin.

‘It’s an unusual situation,’ Jo commented. ‘Typically, having a royal linked to a charity is a significant advantage. How often does that become the complete opposite?

Adding her own thoughts, Rebecca said: ‘Well, we’ve seen it quite recently with Prince Andrew.

‘When he lost his patronages and associations, people had to literally remove his name from building walls and letterheads because it was apparent his name had become so toxic they no longer wanted to be connected with him.

On the question of having a royal associated with your charity, Rebecca said: ‘It is largely a blessing but can also sometimes become a curse.’

‘Do you think that Harry is a curse on Invictus?’ Jo asked.

‘I don’t know,’ Rebecca replied. ‘I don’t think I am qualified enough to say.

‘I covered a few of the Invictus Games to start off with when he was a working member of the Royal Family and when I did, he was incredibly popular.

‘There were people practically going down on their knees and thanking him for starting it.

‘But I haven’t covered the Invictus Games since he left as a member of the Royal Family so I cannot tell you what the atmosphere is right now but Richard is right to highlight it because it is a real dilemma for the Royal Family.’ 

With the Invictus Games set to take place in Birmingham in 2027, Richard said this would continue to be a contentious issue.

‘You would expect members of the Royal Family to be there,’ Richard said. ‘But with Harry involved it makes it very awkward and off putting to them.

‘It’s a tricky question,’ he said.

‘If Harry genuinely cares about [Invictus], he should step back as Patron.’

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