Prince Harry will not stay at Buckingham Palace for UK visit
The Duke of Sussex will not be staying at Buckingham Palace during his upcoming return to the UK, after accommodation arrangements for his trip reportedly descended into disarray.
A spokesperson for Prince Harry described the situation as “disappointing”, stating an offer from the King had been “withdrawn at the last moment”, with a looming High Court judgment against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) on Tuesday cited as the reason.
As frustration appeared to mount on both sides, it is understood that the duke initially declined the offer for himself and his family, who are no longer accompanying him to London, last Saturday. However, he later made a U-turn, asking to stay himself for a single night.
Buckingham Palace indicated the appropriate hospitality and staffing provisions were no longer available. The palace also reportedly believes the duke’s longstanding legal case complicated the matter and could potentially compromise the King’s constitutional position.
It is said while efforts were made to facilitate Harry’s stay, the Royal Household requires a minimum level of notice to ensure appropriate hosting at a royal residence, as a courtesy to staff and others involved.
Prince Harry and a group of other prominent figures are awaiting a High Court ruling on Tuesday from Mr Justice Nicklin, which will determine the outcome of their cases against the Daily Mail’s publisher.
Questions have been raised by the Sussex camp regarding whether the offer of a royal residence bed was ever genuinely intended to be available once Harry accepted it. He is said to have acted in good faith throughout the process, spending much of last week arranging alternative security before formally accepting the offer for himself. Private conversations are also understood to have taken place between the duke and his father.
Harry and his team are reportedly frustrated that the reasons provided for the withdrawal of the offer shifted from his initial non-acceptance of accommodation to the forthcoming ANL legal judgment.
An 11-week trial earlier this year at the High Court in London heard claims of unlawful information-gathering brought by Harry and others, including Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Sir Elton John, against ANL.
The allegations include voicemail interception, landline tapping, and obtaining information by deception, often referred to as “blagging”, carried out by private investigators, freelance journalists, and ANL staff. ANL strongly denies the claims, asserting it “has established a complete defence to all parts of the claims on the merits” and that the cases have been brought too late.
A spokesperson for the duke stated: “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.”
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.”
The palace’s decision was reportedly made in consultation with the King, with the outcome communicated to Harry through official channels. It is understood that accommodation at a royal residence will be made available to Harry and his family for future visits.
It was announced at the weekend that Meghan, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet would not be joining Harry in London, amid ongoing concerns over their security. No decision has been made regarding whether the family will join the duke for other parts of his UK visit outside the capital, with reports suggesting he had hoped to take them to see the final resting place of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, at Althorp in Northamptonshire.
It remains unclear whether Harry will see his father during his trip, or if his children will reunite with their grandfather, who is undergoing cancer treatment, for the first time in four years. The King has a busy schedule of engagements this week, while Harry is set to undertake five days of appearances in London and Birmingham, including marking the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games
The duke had been awaiting a review by the risk management board, part of the process by which the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) determines his security requirements, but learned on Friday that this had not yet occurred. The Sussex family is not eligible for taxpayer-funded protection while in the UK, except when within royal residences.
Prince Harry has previously criticised his father, Charles, his stepmother, the Queen, his brother, the Prince of Wales, and his sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales, in his Oprah interview, Netflix documentary, various interviews, and his autobiography Spare, since stepping down from the working monarchy six years ago.
