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The Invictus Games, Prince Harry's paralympic-style event for wounded servicemen and women, has suffered another blow with the resignation of its CEO. Dominic Reid, who has led the organization for the past 10 years, is stepping down in what is being seen as a response to Harry receiving a prestigious award for his work with the charity.
Reid announced this week that he will leave his post as CEO of the Invictus Games Foundation at the end of 2022. While no official reason was given for his departure, it comes amid widespread criticism of Harry being honored with an award for championing the mental health of servicemen and veterans. Many see it as a undeserved accolade that Harry purchased for himself, rather than one given in recognition of real work.
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Harry received the Intrepid Valor Awards last month from the Intrepid Museum, an organization dedicated to honor the sacrifices of America's servicemen and women. He was given the award for his work founding the Invictus Games. However, Prince Harry has been widely criticized for playing only a cameo role in the charity over the years, with Reid and others doing the bulk of the day-to-day work to organize events and support participants.
When announcing his resignation, Reid did not directly reference the controversy over Harry's award. However, he stressed that the Games have always been about "participants—those who have served their country and inspire us through their courage, determination and resilience." This emphasis on veterans seems to indicate Reid's belief that Harry has shifted focus away from participants and toward self-promotion.
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Reid can certainly feel resentful after 10 years of hard work building up the Invictus Games, only to have Harry sweep in and take sole credit. The CEO's departure makes it clear the Games have become overshadowed by Harry and Meghan's constant antics and attention-seeking. Sources say Reid had developed a 10-year strategy for the organization but grew frustrated seeing those plans sidelined by the Sussexes' actions.
Harry's controversial acceptance speech for the award also shed light on frayed relations behind the scenes. In a gushing speech that mentioned only his own role, Harry failed to acknowledge or thank Reid, the other founders, executives, workers or volunteers that have sustained the Games. This snub confirms suspicions the charity has become less about wounded veterans and more a PR vehicle for Harry to stroke his ego.
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The fact Reid is leaving before a successor has been named also suggests disarray and potential problems ahead as the Games lose their steering force of 10 years. It raises the question of whether other veterans' charities associated with Harry and Meghan will start to distance themselves, worried about being similarly co-opted as platforms to glorify the Sussexes rather than support ex-servicemen.
Skeptics note how the 2022 Invictus Games in the Netherlands were dominated by coverage of Harry and Meghan's cameo appearances rather than spotlighting athletes and their accomplishments. Any articles about competitors and results were few and far between amid a sea of reporting on the Sussexes latest outfits and PDAs. This proves the Games under the the couple's leadership have lost their original purpose.
Others in the veterans community have long voiced concerns that Harry seems to believe he alone deserves credit for founding the Invictus Games concept, when in reality it was a team effort. Meanwhile, he contributes little beyond showboating at launch events while others do the hard work behind the scenes. Reid's resignation shows this pattern has destroyed morale and effectiveness.
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Some see Reid's decision as the first domino to fall, with other veterans groups growing disillusioned with helping the Sussexes burnish their image rather than authentically supporting those who served. Reid surely recognized that staying would only enable Harry's self-aggrandizing ways to further damage a charity meant to uplift wounded warriors. His exit draws a line in the sand and signals that Invictus may soon struggle without its driving force.
The fallout from Harry's controversial award acceptance and the resultant resignation of Dominic Reid prove the Invictus Games experiment has run its course. What was meant to honor disabled veterans through sports has derailed into little more than a PR tool in service of one man's obsessive need for attention and acclaim. Veterans deserve better - and this charity's founder would do well to stop using their struggles to fuel his fame-hungry ways.
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