Amazon Prime has stepped in as a sponsor of the Birmingham Invictus Games

While Prince Harry hasn’t said this directly, most of us believe that the Sussexes’ UK move has a lot to do with next year’s Invictus Games in Birmingham. Some theorized that Harry wants to be on hand and in the country in case Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace pull some shenanigans. Which is more than possible. It’s also possible that Harry knows he’s the face of the games and he needed to be there to personally fundraise and help sign up corporate sponsors. After the Vancouver/Whistler games, Boeing stepped away from sponsoring the Birmingham Games, although Boeing is still a major sponsor of the Invictus Games Foundation. This left a sponsorship gap, a gap which Harry and the Invictus team have been trying to fill for the past year. Well, good news? Amazon Prime is coming aboard.

Amazon is set to sponsor Prince Harry’s Invictus Games in ­Birmingham next year in a big-money deal. The online giant is said to have agreed terms — which would boost the chances of Meghan making an appearance.

Amazon’s streaming arm, Prime Video, is a rival to Netflix which screened Harry and Meghan’s lifestyle shows and a docuseries on the biennial competition for wounded forces’ personnel and vets. Sources said the deal for Amazon to have branding would rescue the games, to run from July 10 to 17, from a “funding crisis”.

The Duke of Sussex and the Invictus Foundation are said to need around £20million to cover costs. It comes after Boeing, a major sponsor, opted not to renew after the event two years ago.

One source said: “The deal would be a shot in the arm for Invictus and Harry. The Invictus committee are really hoping it gets over the line. Amazon wanted to get involved. They already do a lot to back veterans, including employment programmes. The games are a big undertaking and expensive. And it’s interesting Amazon are Netflix’s big rival. It maybe shows Harry and Meg moving in a different direction with a new partner.”

Livewire Pictures are producing coverage of the 2027 games — the first in the UK since 2014 — but the Invictus Foundation has not yet announced a broadcaster.

[From The Sun]

Amazon sucks but I’m glad they’re stepping in as a major sponsor. Jeff Bezos is trying to whitewash his image everywhere, at every level, so why not allow some worthy organizations benefit from his largesse? Put it another way, I’d rather see Bezos sponsor cultural and charitable institutions like Invictus and the Costume Institute as opposed to throwing money away on AI projects or what have you.

Speaking of, Rob Shuter claims that Kris Jenner deserves the credit for helping out Harry. According to Shuter’s sources, Kris is tight with Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos (which is true, they hosted her birthday party last year), and Kris masterminded this deal: “Kris didn’t just know both sides — she had their trust. Meghan needed help. Kris had Lauren’s ear, and Lauren had Jeff’s. One conversation led to another, and suddenly Amazon was at the table.” Another insider said: “This is pocket change for Jeff, but potentially transformative for Invictus. Lauren understands the power of backing major cultural events. If Jeff can put Amazon money behind the Met Gala, why wouldn’t they help Meghan and Harry?” So… wait?? I thought Kris Jenner was mad at the Sussexes because something something Instagram photos! I thought the Kardashian-Jenners had declared Harry and Meghan personas non grata? And now Kris is getting credit for this?

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid and Kim Kardashian’s Instagram.