bitchy | Invictus’s spox pushes back on Tom Bower’s offensive lies about the Invictus veterans

On Friday, the Times of London published a revolting excerpt from royalist Tom Bower’s latest screed against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. That’s right, after his previous anti-Sussex book sold literally dozens of copies, Bower has written another one, partially regurgitating all of the previous lies he’s told and adding lots of updated lies. Last year, Bower traveled to Canada for the Invictus Games in Vancouver and Whistler. As far as I know, he wasn’t there as official press covering the event. He likely paid on his own dime to go there and manufacture lies about Harry and Meghan and the games themselves. In the Times’ excerpt of his book, Bower rants on and on about how Meghan posted behind-the-scenes photos and videos from Invictus onto her Instagram (he was particularly aggrieved by that). Then Bower decided to repeatedly insinuate that Invictus competitors are perhaps faking it because some of them could walk and/or they had all of their limbs.

On February 8, 2025, Katy Perry performed for 30,000 ecstatic fans at BC Place. Before her appearance, about 500 competitors from 23 countries had paraded across the venue, preceded and followed by 80 Canadian navy bandsmen and 90 Highland pipers. Few of the cheering audience noticed that 97 per cent of the competitors were walking. Only a handful of the sportsmen were pushed in wheelchairs. Hardly any were limbless. The fans had come to see Katy Perry. For them, the games was a music spectacular, not a bond between the nation and its armed forces.

… At the opening wheelchair basketball match between Nigeria and the United States at the Vancouver Convention Centre, the mood was sullen. Merely 43 ticket-buying spectators sat morosely together in a hall fitted with seats for more than 2,000 people. On the other side of the court, about 100 people brought in by the organisers were corralled to surround the Sussexes when they eventually arrived. The edited TV pictures would suggest that the hall was full.

…In an uncanny silence, the eight-man Nigerian scratch squad wheeled themselves onto the court. They faced 22 professionally trained Americans. While two men in the Nigerian team had lost a leg, none of the Americans were limbless. All were apparently suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Throughout the game, there was barely a murmur from the spectators. Halfway through the match, the Sussexes slipped into their seats.

Harry and Meghan’s presence at the game was the day’s media photo opportunity. Nine zoom lenses focused on the Sussexes’ tightly controlled narrative. The couple clapped silently. Meghan stared lovingly at Harry and the prince watched the slow match intently. Nearby, a vetted TV station recorded them on a tight lens. Ten minutes after their arrival, the whistle blew. The Americans had trounced the Nigerians 24-0. There were no cheers. The American team wheeled themselves off the court into a secluded area and effortlessly they all got up and walked away. None of them appeared to be physically injured.

[From The Times]

The repetition of “none of them appeared to be physically injured” and “none of the Americans were limbless” and “hardly any were limbless…” Like, anyone paying any f–king attention to Invictus knows that wounded warriors come in all shapes, all sizes and all different kinds of physical and psychological damage. While I know many people didn’t watch Heart of Invictus, it showcased the wide variety of Invictus competitors and what they were dealing with both with visible and invisible injuries. PTSD is no f–king joke, and the psychological wounds of war have ripped apart lives, families and communities. You also don’t have to lose a limb to be physically injured. So, after the Times published this absolute f–king horsesh-t, Invictus’s spokesperson issued a statement:

Following criticism of the Games in the excerpt, a spokesperson for the Invictus Games Foundation also pushed back.

“It is disappointing to see The Times give prominence to commentary that appears driven by a long-established agenda rather than a genuine understanding of the Invictus Games and the community it supports,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The foundation emphasized that the Games are focused on “the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans from around the world,” adding that attempts to question competitors’ legitimacy or minimize conditions like PTSD are “deeply disrespectful to the men and women the Games were created for.”

“The focus should remain where it belongs — on the courage, recovery and camaraderie of those who have served,” the statement continued.

PEOPLE understands that the criticism of the Games in the excerpt has also drawn backlash from members of the Invictus community, including former competitors and supporters who say the portrayal misunderstands the purpose of the event, which was founded to support veterans recovering from both physical injuries and invisible wounds such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

[From People]

Yes. I would support the Invictus team if they issued an even stronger statement calling Bower a lying jackass. He got everything wrong about the Vancouver/Whistler games, and people have been posting their photos and videos to show that he is just blatantly f–king lying. Beyond that, didn’t anyone at the Times stop and say “wait, it’s crazy that he’s repeatedly suggesting that Invictus competitors and attendees are paid actors??”

The arrival of the Sussexes, filmed by me, where are the 100 people? pic.twitter.com/8JDXVsToPW

— awa Gomis 🇸🇳 🇫🇷 🏆⭐️⭐️🏆 (@awaGomisk56s) March 13, 2026

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.