Royal sources say Harry had failed to respond within the required timeframe and was informed last Saturday evening that accommodation would no longer be available
Prince Harry’s visit to the U.K. has been overshadowed by fresh controversy after Buckingham Palace and the Duke of Sussex’s team publicly offered conflicting accounts over whether he would stay at Buckingham Palace during his trip to London.
Buckingham Palace said the Duke of Sussex would not be staying at the palace during his visit, despite his team initially announcing that he had accepted an invitation to stay at the royal residence.
According to palace sources, Harry had until the end of last week to confirm whether he intended to stay so that Royal Household staff could prepare for his arrival. They claim the duke’s team formally declined the invitation on Saturday before later reversing that decision and accepting the offer the same day. By then, palace officials said, it was too late to make the necessary arrangements and provide staffing.
Palace sources also pointed to the timing of a major legal ruling involving Prince Harry. A judgment in the case brought by Harry and several high-profile figures, including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, against the publishers of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers is due to be handed down during his visit. Officials were reportedly concerned about the optics of Harry staying at the symbolic headquarters of the monarchy while responding to a legal case, given King Charles’ constitutional neutrality.
Prince Harry’s representatives have strongly disputed that version of events.
The Duke’s spokesman said in a statement: “I am aware of multiple briefings from Buckingham Palace last week suggesting that the Duke had not accepted the offer of accommodation at a Royal Residence.”
“Following RAVEC’s decision not to provide security for his family, the Duke spent last week making alternative security arrangements. Once those arrangements were in place, he was able to formally accept the offer of accommodation for himself over the weekend,” the spokesperson added.
The statement continued: “It is therefore disappointing that the offer has now been withdrawn, with Tuesday’s judgment in the Associated Newspapers Limited case cited as the reason. Buckingham Palace has, however, been aware of that judgment since last Thursday. It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment.”
The disagreement follows more than a week of uncertainty over whether Harry would accept an invitation from his father, King Charles, to stay at a royal residence while in London. Earlier reports suggested he had accepted the invitation on Saturday, only for Buckingham Palace to later deny that he would be staying there.
The confusion led to conflicting public statements throughout Monday. The BBC initially reported that Harry would stay at Buckingham Palace, citing his spokesman, before the palace publicly rejected that account. Harry’s spokesperson subsequently confirmed they believed the offer had been withdrawn after it had already been accepted.
The accommodation dispute comes against the backdrop of Prince Harry’s ongoing security concerns in the United Kingdom. Following the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures’ (RAVEC) decision not to provide taxpayer-funded police protection for the Duke and his family, Harry ultimately chose to travel to London alone rather than bring his wife, Meghan Markle, and their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
Harry’s team reportedly spent several days exploring enhanced private security arrangements before deciding he could safely travel by himself.
Despite the dispute, Prince Harry is expected to carry out his planned engagements throughout the week, beginning with events in London connected to the Invictus Games, before traveling to Birmingham as part of the one-year countdown to the 2027 tournament.
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It remains unclear whether Meghan and the couple’s children will join him later in the week outside London, and questions also remain over whether Harry will meet King Charles during the visit.
