Biden name drops Prince Harry and his role in the Invictus Games as the Royal Family is embroiled in the fallout from Omid Scobie’s race revelations – and after Jill turned down an invite to the event to avoid upsetting Buckingham Palace
President Joe Biden name-dropped Prince Harry and his work with the Invictus Games during Thursday night's National Christmas Tree Lighting on the Ellipse.
The admission comes as the British royal family is embroiled in the latest chapter of the “royal racist” row, which began when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle told Oprah Winfrey that a family member had “concerns” about the color of Prince Archie's skin .
The latest twist came after the Dutch publication of author Omid Scobie's book Endgame, which inadvertently mentioned two senior royals.
During brief remarks at the National Tree Lighting Ceremony, Biden drew attention to 43 members of Team USA who were in the audience and who had traveled to Dusseldorf, Germany, in September for the Invictus Games — an event that first lady Jill Biden skipped.
“Give them a hand,” Biden told the crowd. “Jill and Prince Harry went to the first Invictus Games in '14 and the Invictus Games in Ontario, I was there, in '16 in Toronto. Regardless, there's been a big, big, big effort that we've seen.”
President Joe Biden (right), flanked by first lady Jill Biden (left), Prince Harry was named during the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the Ellipse on Thursday. It comes as the royal family is embroiled in the latest chapter of the 'racist row'
At the Christmas Tree Lighting, Biden (left) referenced how Dr. Jill Biden (center) attended the Invictus Games with Prince Harry (right) in 2014 and both Bidens went when they were detained in Toronto, although the president ruined the year.
The Toronto Games actually took place in 2017.
Dr. Biden attended the 2016 Invictus Games when they were held in Florida.
“And you know these athletes are incredible. Wounded warriors – from service branches, from every service branch, the essence of who we are as Americans,” the president continued.
The 'royal racist' row gained new life after the publication of the Dutch version of Omid Scobie's book Endgame, which inadvertently named two senior royals as perpetrators
On September 1, the East Wing officially announced that Dr. Biden, a staunch advocate for service members, veterans and their families, would skip the 2023 Invictus Games in Dusseldorf.
The first lady instead attended a farewell dinner and addressed a group of 60 wounded, injured and ill active-duty military members in Belvoir, Virginia.
DailyMail.com reported in July that Dr. Biden wanted to attend the April 2022 Invictus Games in The Hague.
They would be the first games to be held since the COVID-19 pandemic, since the start of the Biden administration and since Harry and Meghan Markle left the royal family.
But the first lady ultimately did not go along for fear of offending the British royal family, sources said.
British officials told National Security Council staff in a working-level conversation that they thought the idea would go down poorly, the source said.
“She wanted to go,” a person familiar with the event told DailyMail.com of the first lady, but noted that the East Wing feared the palace would be hurt if she attended.
A few months later, after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wanted to return to the United States on Air Force One after the queen's funeral.
That request was quickly rejected by the White House as it was considered a “non-starter,” sources told DailyMail.com.
'It would have caused such a commotion. It would have strained relations with the palace and the new king,” another source told DailyMail.com.
Dr. Biden had a close friendship with Prince Harry for years, thanks to their shared support for veterans.
During her time as second lady, she and first lady Michelle Obama launched Joining Forces to support military families.
Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014 after attending the Warrior Games in the US the year before.