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The Prince of Wales has hailed the "hundreds of thousands of people taking part while raising millions for life-changing charities" in a new message about Swimathon UK, issued just hours after Prince Harry's furious statement regarding his own charitable foundation, the Invictus Games.

Prince William took to his and Princess Catherine's official X account to make a new post about the annual fundraising swimming event, which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary.

William said in the message: "Congratulations to Swimathon UK on 40 years of bringing people together through swimming. It's so inspiring to see hundreds of thousands of people taking part while raising millions for life-changing charities."

He signed the message with his initial "W".

Swimathon is held every year in March in over 450 pools across the UK and raises funds for Cancer Research UK, Marie Curie, and the Swimathon Foundation.

It has raised over £50million since its launch in 1986.

It comes hours after Prince Harry hit back at some explosive new claims about his Invictus Games initiative in a forthcoming royal book.

In his forthcoming book, Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family, extracts of which have been serialised by The Times Magazine, Tom Bower delves into the ongoing, strained relationship between the Houses of Sussex and Windsor and makes a number of explosive claims about the Duke and Duchess.

The magazine cites alleged internal concerns, including from former Invictus Foundation head Dominic Reid, that sport and competitors were being overshadowed and that the Games had become "the Harry and Meghan show". It also cites the poor attendance of events and claims crowd "padding" took place for the cameras, as well as alleging that competitors and families were being overshadowed by tightly managed photo opportunities.

A spokesperson for the Invictus Games Foundation said: "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 Foundation exists to support the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans from around the world.

"Attempts to question the legitimacy of competitors or diminish the experiences of those living with both physical injuries and invisible wounds such as 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."