Why Meghan Markle Left the Invictus Games Early Without Prince Harry
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s trip to Canada saw Meghan leave early, but there is a good reason why.
Royal family
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent mid-February in Canada for Harry’s Invictus Games, but Meghan has since returned home to California early.
by Julia Mullaney
Published on February 13, 2025
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle headed to Canada in mid-February so that Harry’s Invictus Games Foundation could host its first-ever winter version of the event. The Invictus Games bring together sick or injured service members and offer Olympic-style competitions in a number of sports.
Harry and Meghan always look forward to the event, and it’s where they even made their first public appearance as a couple back in 2017. But Meghan had to leave the Games a bit early this week; here’s why.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Samir Hussein/WireImage
Last year, Meghan and Harry stopped making so many public appearances as a couple. Harry took several trips for interviews and discussions while his wife remained at home, and she walked a few red carpets without her husband. It wasn’t because anything was wrong in their marriage; rather, it seemed the two just wanted to separate their businesses from their relationship a bit.
After spending several days in Canada with her husband, Meghan returned to California early. The reason? To be with her children, per Express. Harry and Meghan have two young kids, Prince Archie, age 5, and Princess Lilibet, age 3. Meghan and Harry don’t like to leave the kids for an extended period of time, and it seems that Meghan wanted to strike a balance — she’d be there to support her husband but leave early so as not to leave the kids alone for too many days (the children are likely watched by Meghan’s mother, Doria, and perhaps some nannies).
Harry is expected to stay for the remainder of the games, which isn’t unusual for the couple. He travels without Meghan quite often (mostly to attend court appearances in the UK, though those seem to finally be over).
A big reason Harry and Meghan moved to the United States was to be able to give their kids a more normal life. At the time of the 2020 move, Harry and Meghan only had Archie, but they welcomed Lilibet about a year later. In a 2024 interview, Harry said he has no plans to move back to the UK and that he is thankful to be able to do so many things with Archie and Lili that he otherwise wouldn’t have been to if they’d remained working royals.
Harry has continued to proudly work on the Invictus Games since he and Meghan left the family. The foundation, along with his African charity Sentebale, have been Harry’s biggest time investments in recent years. 2025 marked the first time the Invictus Games were held in winter.