Prince William and Kate Middleton will reportedly miss Prince Harry's Invictus Games amid the ongoing royal drama - but their absence isn't a "snub", according to insiders.
An unnamed royal source told the Mirror that while Harry's brother and sister-in-law are unlikely to attend the event, Meghan Markle will be "at the front and centre" of the Invictus Games.
The insider claimed that Meghan "knows how important" the Games are to her husband and "will be at his side" throughout. The Games were launched by Harry in 2014 as a competitive sporting event for injured military personnel.
Yet William and Kate's absence is reportedly unrelated to the conflict surrounding Harry and Meghan's controversial withdrawal from royal duties. The couple announced their decision to step back from royalty in pursuit of financial freedom last year.
"William had not been expected to attend even before the news broke about Harry and Meghan's decision to step away from public life," the source told the Mirror.
"It isn't a snub. The entire Royal Family remains hugely supportive and very proud of Harry's work on Invictus."
The event will be held in The Hague in Holland in May.
Meanwhile royal commentators continue to criticise Harry and Meghan's conduct, most recently for their questionable statement following their forced abandonment of the Sussex Royal brand.
Last week, it was reported that Queen Elizabeth had ruled it "no longer tenable" for Harry and Meghan to use "Royal" or "Sussex Royal" in their branding following their decision to step back as senior members of the family.
In a statement widely perceived as snide and "disrespectful", according to Piers Morgan, the couple responded: "There is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word 'Royal' overseas".
However, the statement also confirmed that they won't be using Sussex Royal or "any iteration of the word 'Royal' in any territory" - including outside of the UK - following their transition to independence on March 31.
The pair's spokesperson confirmed their upcoming non-profit organisation will no longer use the label Sussex Royal and trademark applications have also been dropped.
Former editor of International Who's Who and royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail that the Sussexes' statement was "completely unnecessary".
"It has been especially unnecessary to underline it in this way...It simply empathises the division," Fitzwilliams told the outlet.
"The tone they've taken is that they are unhappy, they've made it clear every step of the way."
