Meghan Markle Won’t Join Prince Harry in the U.K. Next Month Before Heading to Nigeria Together

The Duke of Sussex is visiting London in May to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany in September 2023. Photo:Joshua Sammer/Getty

Meghan Markle will not join Prince Harry on his upcoming trip to London to mark a milestone anniversary of the Invictus Games.

The Duchess of Sussex, 42, will not accompany her husband during his trip to the U.K. in early May for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. Prince Harry founded the adaptive sports tournament for service personnel and veterans in 2014, and the inaugural Invictus Games were held in London. On May 8, the anniversary will be celebrated with a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in the heart of the city, with the Duke of Sussex, 39, set to deliver a reading.

Prince Harry and Meghan relocated to her home state of California after stepping back from their royal roles in 2020, and the Duchess of Sussex was last in the U.K. in September 2022. The couple was in Europe for a series of events with some of their longtime charities when Queen Elizabeth died at age 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stayed abroad for the funerary events that followed before returning home to the U.S. and reuniting with their son, Prince Archie, 4, and daughter, Princess Lilibet, 2. Prince Harry has made several solo trips to England since, including for various court cases against British newspaper groups, the coronation of his father King Charles in May 2023 and most recently to visit his dad following the news of the monarch’s cancer diagnosis.

Prince Harry arrives for the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla in London on May 6, 2023.Andy Stenning – WPA Pool/Getty

The Invictus Games anniversary service on May 8 at St. Paul’s Cathedral is expected to be attended by representatives from across the tournament’s participating nations, including members of the wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veteran community. Community members, supporters and beneficiaries will also give readings and participate in the service, which will be led by The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Dean of St. Paul’s.

The cathedral is where the future King Charles and Princess Diana married in 1981.

Following the Duke of Sussex’s May visit to the U.K. for the Invictus Games anniversary, which will include multiple other Invictus Games Foundation-related events, he will be joined by Meghan in Nigeria. PEOPLE confirms that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have accepted an invitation to visit the African country next month on behalf of its Chief of Defense Staff, the highest-ranking military official.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry pose for photos at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany on Sept. 14, 2023.Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation

During the visit, Prince Harry and Meghan will meet service members and participate in a variety of cultural activities.

The trip will highlight Harry’s Invictus Games, which welcomed 500 athletes to the 2023 games in Düsseldorf, Germany, and doubled as Nigeria’s event debut. Nigeria was a new entrant at the latest games alongside Colombia and Israel, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent time with the Nigerian team. Nigerian Minister of Defense, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Badaru also attended the competition in Germany and has expressed willingness to host the games should the country be granted the opportunity.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry speak on stage at the third day of the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany on Sept. 12, 2023.Chris Jackson/Getty for the Invictus Games Foundation

In his opening speech in Germany, Prince Harry even revealed that his wife was rooting for the squad after discovering that she has Nigerian heritage.

“Now, I’m not saying we play favorites in our home, but since my wife discovered she’s of Nigerian descent, it’s likely to get a little bit more competitive this year,” Harry joked at Invictus kickoff in September 2023.

The comment followed the Duchess of Sussex’s revelation on a 2022 episode of her podcast, Archetypes, that she learned she was 43% Nigerian through a genealogy test.

(Center) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose for a photo with athletes at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany on Sept. 13, 2023.Chris Jackson/Getty

At the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Prince Harry and Meghan posed for a photo with Team Nigeria and the national flag. The athletes presented them with a plaque from the Chief of Defense, plus a new nickname for the Duchess of Sussex.

Meghan was given the name “Amira Ngozi Lolo,” which has a royal meaning. Amira is the name of a warrior princess from a legend, while Ngozi means “blessed” and Lolo means “royal wife.”

In February, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex traveled to Canada for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025’s One Year to Go celebrations, counting down to the games there next year. At the winter kickoff, returning Team Nigeria athlete Peacemaker Azuegbulam opened up about what it meant to have Meghan’s support.

“It makes me feel good. It makes me feel loved that she really cares about Team Nigeria,” Azuegbulam told PEOPLE in Whistler. “We are happy for the love being shown by them and appreciate the efforts to bring the Invictus Games to Nigeria.”

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistlers 2025’s One Year To Go Winter Training Camp on Feb. 14, 2024 in Whistler, British Columbia.Andrew Chin/Getty