Overview
- Prince Harry made a solo red‑carpet appearance at the TIME100 Sports Gala in New York and told Page Six he was “of course” sad about England’s 2-1 World Cup semi‑final defeat, commenting during the event on Thursday.
- TIME honoured Harry in its 2026 TIME100 Most Influential People in Sports list for his work founding and promoting the Invictus Games, and he used the gala to praise sport’s role in recovery.
- Meghan Markle did not attend the gala, and friends told outlets she felt deep sadness and, in some reports, humiliation after the couple’s UK trip was disrupted by security and accommodation disputes.
- The New York appearance follows a contested UK visit that included a private Highgrove meeting with King Charles on July 10 and comes against the backdrop of Harry’s recent High Court loss in his privacy claim against Associated Newspapers.
- The sequence of public praise, private family contact and legal and security rows keeps scrutiny on Harry’s public role and on how the palace and security arrangements will shape future visits and the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham.