Prince Harry will not stay at Buckingham Palace this week after accepting his father, King Charles' invitation too late.
The Duke of Sussex - who lives in California - will travel to the UK this week to promote his Invictus Games and make a string of other public appearances, and while his team initially announced on Monday (06.07.26) that he will be based at the royal residence for part of his trip, it has now emerged that will not be the case.
Insiders said Harry had not formally responded to the king's offer of accommodation at a royal residence by a deadline of the end of last week, and so was told over the weekend he could no longer stay at Buckingham Palace because a minimum notice period is needed to ensure guests can be hosted and Royal Household staff provided.
The 41-year-old royal's representative admitted the decision was "disappointing" and accused the palace of withdrawing the offer "at the last moment" as they explained Harry's delay had been due to him putting security measures in place after it was confirmed he wouldn't receive official protection.
The representative said: "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 representative also claimed the news a High Court ruling on Harry's privacy claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail will be published on Tuesday (07.07.26) also lead to the offer being withdrawn.
They added: "It is therefore disappointing that the offer has now been withdrawn, with Tuesday’s judgment in the Associated Newspapers Limited case cited as the reason.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"It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment."
It remains unclear as to where Harry will now stay, and whether or not his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and their children Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, will accompany him on any part of the trip.
