Prince Harry’s return to Britain this week will come without the trappings of a Buckingham Palace stay, after the palace said he will not be hosted there despite his spokesman telling media on Monday that the prince had accepted an invitation to do so.
According to the BBC, Harry did not formally respond to an offer of accommodation at a royal residence by a set deadline and was informed over the weekend that he could no longer stay at Buckingham Palace in central London.
The development lands as Harry travels to London and Birmingham for a series of charity engagements, a visit that has prompted fresh speculation over whether the estranged royal might see his father, King Charles, or base himself in a royal palace.
Prince Harry has lived in the US with his American wife Meghan since 2020
Instead, the run-up to the trip has been dominated by a dispute with the government over security arrangements. A spokesman for Harry said on Sunday that his wife, Meghan, and their children would not travel with him to London, though they could still join him later when he goes to Birmingham.
It was announced at the weekend that Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet would no longer be joining Harry in London amid concern over their security.
The family are not eligible for taxpayer-funded protection in the UK, except when they are within royal residences.
Harry has lived in the US since 2020 with his American wife Meghan, after they stepped down as working members of the royal family, saying they wanted financial independence and to escape what they described as media intrusion into their private lives.
In the six years since, the extent of the rift between Harry and his father Charles and brother William has been laid bare, including through interviews given by Harry and in his autobiography.
Harry criticised his brother William in his autobiography
The King, who is still undergoing treatment for cancer, has barely seen his two grandchildren since they were born, though Harry said in May last year that he wanted the fighting to end.
Harry’s spokesman had previously said the duke would be staying in a mix of royal and private accommodation.
On Monday, the spokesman said it was “disappointing” that the King’s offer had been “withdrawn at the last moment”, citing a looming judgment in Harry’s legal case against Associated Newspapers due tomorrow as the reason.
Palace sources said the appropriate hospitality and staffing could no longer be arranged, adding that the longstanding legal case had also complicated matters and risked compromising the King’s constitutional position.
It was said that while efforts were made to facilitate Harry’s stay, the royal household needs a minimum level of notice, as a courtesy to staff and others involved, to ensure a royal residence can host him appropriately.
The palace decision was said to have been taken in consultation with King Charles, with the outcome communicated to Harry through the appropriate channels.
