london —
Prince Harry will not be able to stay at Buckingham Palace when he visits London this week, but his team appeared to confirm earlier Monday that he had accepted an invitation to stay.
A royal source said the Duke of Sussex had not formally responded to King Charles’ offer of royal accommodation by the required deadline at the end of last week.
There was confusion and contradiction in the lead up to the visit over the Sussexes’ accommodation arrangements.
A royal source said the offer to provide the family with a royal residence was initially turned down on Saturday, but a request later came from the duke himself. However, at that point it was too late to make suitable hospitality and staffing arrangements and this was communicated to the Duke.
It is understood that a minimum amount of notice is required for palaces to ensure that guests can be entertained and staff supported in the royal residence.
Prince Harry had hoped to bring his wife, Duchess Meghan, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, but they will not accompany him during his stay in London due to ongoing disagreements over the family’s police protection. They are staying in the US for now, but no final decision has been made as to whether they will join the duke later in the trip.
There were also concerns about the Duke staying at the royal residence when the verdict in the legal battle against Associated Newspapers Limited is expected to be announced on Tuesday.
The Duke of Sussex and six other British celebrities sued the publisher of the Daily Mail in 2022 over allegations of phone hacking, wiretapping and illegal information-gathering practices dating back several years.
A spokesperson for the duke gave a different explanation for the accommodation offer, saying Prince Harry had personally accepted the invitation over the weekend, but it had been rescinded.
A spokesperson said alternative security arrangements had been put in place over the past week after the duke’s team were told that taxpayer-funded police protection would not be provided during their visit.
“Once these arrangements were in place, he was able to formally accept the offer of weekend accommodation,” his spokesperson said. “It is therefore unfortunate that this proposal was withdrawn, citing Tuesday’s decision in the Associated Press case as the reason.”
“However, Buckingham Palace has been aware of the ruling since last Thursday. It is therefore unclear why the offer of accommodation was withdrawn at the last minute, despite having formally accepted it,” the spokesperson added.
Multiple British media outlets reported earlier on Monday, citing Prince Harry’s spokesperson, that Prince Harry had accepted the invitation to stay at the palace.
Prince Harry will return to the UK this week to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style sports competition for injured servicemen and veterans that he founded more than a decade ago, as well as carrying out several other charity projects.
When Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan retired from royal duties in 2020, they were embroiled in a long-standing disagreement with the British government after their security was downgraded by the Royal Family and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC).
Last year, he lost a challenge to the Home Office in the UK Court of Appeal over the decision. He has since been awaiting review by RAVEC’s Risk Management Committee, which has not yet taken place.
A British government spokesperson previously said the country’s protective security system was “rigorous and appropriate”.
There are hopes that King Charles will be reunited with his young grandchildren during this week’s trip. Prince Charles last saw his entire family four years ago when he was in England for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Since then, Prince Harry has returned to the UK on short notice several times, most notably to attend his grandmother’s funeral in 2022 and his father’s coronation in 2023. Prince Harry last saw his father in September when the two had tea at Clarence House in London.
