Fund ‘gutted’ after Harry and Meghan pull plug on Invictus Games gala

Prince Harry and Meghan have called off a gala fundraiser for wounded servicemen and women after signing a deal with Netflix.

Meghan visits a preschool in Los Angeles last week. Picture: Instagram

For the wounded servicemen and women whom the Duke of Sussex calls “my heroes”, it was to be a ­global celebration of their achievements and a financial lifeline for the Invictus Games.

But a starry fundraiser that the duke and duchess were to attend for the Paralympic-style competition founded by Prince Harry has been cancelled after their Netflix deal, thought to be worth dollars $US100m ($137m) was signed last week.

The music and comedy show was scheduled to take place next June in California, where the Sussexes now live, following the next Invictus Games at The Hague, The Netherlands.

The Hollywood Bowl had been earmarked as a venue and the event was to be streamed by Amazon, with stars including Beyonce and Ed Sheeran in the running.

Harry and Meghan were also expected to make speeches at the event, which aimed to raise more than $1.8m for the foundation that runs the competition for sick and injured service personnel and veterans.

Officials at the foundation, of which Harry is patron, were “stunned” after a lawyer for the Sussexes contacted them shortly before the Netflix deal was ­announced last week, pulling the plug on the project, citing a “conflict” over a planned deal with a rival streaming service.

A source involved in the year-long planning said: “It’s very bad form and everyone at Invictus is gutted.

“Harry said yes to doing this last year and everything was still moving forwards until a few weeks ago. This was going to be a big ­moment for Invictus where the pot is pretty empty, and it has left them in the lurch.

“Harry needs to pull his finger out to find another way to raise funds for them.”

Netflix’s deal is to make documentaries, feature films, scripted television series and children’s shows.

The couple said their programs would “inform and give hope” through “powerful storytelling through a truthful and relatable lens” to “help us share impactful content that unlocks action”.

The Invictus Games Foundation has an annual income of less than $1.8m. The games have so far run on unsolicited donations, but it has said fundraising will need to be more professional if the tournament is to continue.

Harry’s last public engagement for the games, cancelled this year because of COVID-19, was a visit to Abbey Road studios in north London in February, where he met Jon Bon Jovi and members of the Invictus Games Choir, who ­recorded a charity single in aid of the foundation.

An Invictus spokesman said: “The event was shelved because the primary revenue generator was ticket sales from a live concert in Los Angeles in the spring of 2021.

“Given current circumstances with COVID, the event needed to be reconceptualised. This was an independent decision made prior to a partnership with Netflix. The duke remains committed as ever to the Invictus Games.”

The Times