Demented old fart Tom Bower has written a new book which is supposed to be some kind of “takedown” of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. This week, Bower admitted, in a TV interview, to using deranged internet trolls as “sources” for some/all of the book. We could tell, just from the excerpts. The Sussexes already issued a statement about Bower’s well-documented “fixation” on them, and Invictus has issued a statement about Bower’s offensive book as well. You see, in one part of the book, Bower makes a series of wildly offensive statements about the Vancouver/Whistler Invictus Games and how the American Invictus team was faking it because they had all of their “limbs.” Well, Newsweek spoke to the director of the US Warrior Games, who is also involved with the American Invictus team.
Prince Harry got a boost after the U.S. Invictus Games Team disputed a key passage of an upcoming royal biography by an old Sussex nemesis. Tom Bower’s first book about Harry and Meghan Markle sparked a war of words between the two sides and his second, Betrayal, has already triggered a new public argument, with Harry labeling the book “deranged conspiracy and melodrama.”
Now though, Harry has the backing of the director of the U.S. Warrior Games team, speaking also on behalf of America’s Invictus Games team. Among the most inflammatory passages, Bower suggested none of the U.S. wheelchair basketball team were missing limbs, stating they instead had PTSD.
David G. Paschal, director of America’s Warrior Games, told Newsweek team members “actually had both visible and invisible impairments, including several competitors with below the knee amputations or lower limb function loss.” He further backed the Invictus Games, saying it helped save the lives of veterans.
Paschal said in a statement to Newsweek: “Our Team United States 2025 wheelchair basketball competitors actually had both visible and invisible impairments, including several competitors with below the knee amputations or lower limb function loss. Additionally, none of the competitors are professional athletes (a strict eligibility requirement for Team U.S., as we do not allow professional athletes to participate).”
“The Invictus Games are designed to ensure that wounded, ill, and injured service members and veterans with a wide range of visible and invisible injuries can compete on an equal playing field. Team U.S. fully supports the Invictus Games Foundation’s inclusion of competitors with PTSD, a recognized combat and service-related condition, as invisible wounds can be just as debilitating as visible ones.”
“Adaptive sporting events such as the Invictus Games save lives through community and purpose, and Team U.S. recognizes the positive impact of this international competition.”
That final line is likely to be particularly well received by Harry who has also argued in the past, including in a lawsuit with The Mail on Sunday, that his work supporting veterans is life saving.
It’s so f–king infuriating that people involved with Invictus and the Warrior Games have to come out and make these kinds of obvious statements. Yes, Invictus has always recognized PTSD. Yes, invisible injuries exist. Yes, Invictus saves lives. No, Bower has no f–king clue what he’s talking about. The people who are trying to get to Prince Harry via Invictus and veterans are all going to hell, and that includes all of these royal reporters giddily parroting Prince William’s rage-tantrums.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
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