Prince Harry will not be staying at Buckingham Palace during his visit to the U.K. this week, despite his spokesperson reportedly saying Harry had accepted an offer to stay there, sparking fresh questions about his relationship with the palace.
According to BBC News, Harry missed the deadline to notify the royal household of his plans to stay at the palace and was reportedly informed over the weekend that there would not be enough time to arrange the necessary staff to accommodate his visit.
However, a spokesperson for the prince challenged this account, saying the invitation had been officially accepted before it was later “withdrawn at the last moment,” with the looming judgment in the duke’s case against British newspaper published Associated Newspapers on Tuesday given as the reason.
It is understood Harry turned down the offer for himself and his family on Saturday before making a U-turn later in the day and asking to stay himself. The spokesperson for Harry described the decision as “disappointing.”
A spokesperson for Harry said that once he was told he would not receive any taxpayer-funded security, he spent the following days making alternative arrangements. “Once those arrangements were in place, he was able to formally accept the offer of accommodation for himself over the weekend,” they said.
The conflicting accounts of Harry’s accommodation plans have only added to ongoing speculation over the state of his relationship with Buckingham Palace as he returns to Britain for a series of charity engagements centered around the Invictus Games.
Questions also remain over whether Harry will be joined by his wife, Meghan, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, and whether he (or they) will meet with members of the royal family, including his father, King Charles, during the visit.
On Saturday, it was reported that Harry’s family would not be traveling to London with him for the first leg of his visit at the very least.
The royal household requires a minimum level of notice to ensure guests can be hosted appropriately at a royal residence.
The decision by the palace was said to have been taken in consultation with the king.
Strained relations
Relations between Harry and the royal family have remained fractured since he and Meghan stepped back as working royals in 2020 and relocated to California.
The divide deepened following the couple’s televised interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 and Harry’s memoir, Spare, which contained intimate accounts of family disagreements and criticism of the monarchy’s relationship with the British press.
Prince Harry and Meghan in 2021.
(Pacific Press via Getty Images)
Despite the fallout, Harry has repeatedly said he hopes to reconcile with his family.
Speaking to the BBC last year, the prince said: “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious.”
Any meeting with King Charles would be particularly significant as the monarch continues treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer. However, there has been little public indication of any breakthrough in Harry’s relationship with his brother, Prince William, whom he last saw at their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022.
Long-running security dispute
One of the biggest issues surrounding Harry’s return to Britain remains a long-running dispute over security.
Since stepping back as a working royal, Harry has argued that he and his family should continue to receive taxpayer-funded police protection when they visit the U.K. British authorities have maintained that, because he is no longer a working royal, his security should instead be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
The Times reported in 2021 that Harry had been warned that taxpayer-funded security could not be guaranteed if he stepped back from his official royal duties.
The issue became more complicated in 2023 when King Charles asked Harry and Meghan to vacate Frogmore Cottage, their home on the Windsor estate. Yahoo reported at the time that losing Frogmore (the family’s only permanent royal residence in Britain) increased their reliance on private accommodation and complicated any ad hoc security arrangements whenever they returned.
The disagreement over security has resulted in years of legal action against the U.K. government.
Harry and William at the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana, at Kensington Palace, July 2021.
(DOMINIC LIPINSKI via Getty Images)
Harry has challenged the decision by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) to remove his automatic taxpayer-funded police protection, arguing that his family remains at heightened risk because of his royal status.
The king has reportedly refused to intervene in the issue, classifying it as a matter for the government.
With security issues still up in the air, it also remains unclear whether Meghan, Archie and Lilibet will travel to Britain. While it is believed they will not travel to London, it has not been confirmed whether they will join Harry in Birmingham.
The couple’s two children have spent very little time with King Charles since Harry and Meghan relocated to California. A visit would provide a rare opportunity for them to see their grandfather, who has not seen them since June 2022, during Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee.
Harry has previously said concerns over security remain the biggest obstacle to bringing his family back to the U.K.
Harry’s itinerary
Harry’s visit, which begins Tuesday, is expected to focus primarily on charity work and the Invictus Games.
He is due to attend engagements in London before traveling to Birmingham to mark the 20th anniversary of the WellChild Nurses organization and take part in celebrations marking one year until the 2027 Invictus Games.
There have also been reports that Harry could make a private visit to Althorp, the Spencer family estate where his mother, Princess Diana, is buried.
Ticking along in the background, however, is a decision at the High Court of Justice in London on Tuesday, when a judge will reveal his verdict in Harry’s invasion of privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail.
Harry is one of several high-profile names, including Sir Elton John, David Furnish and Elizabeth Hurley, who are awaiting a verdict nearly four years after suing the publisher of the Daily Mail over allegations it used unlawful methods, including phone hacking, to gather information for news stories. Associated Newspapers denies the allegations.
