Now it's official: Prince Harry (41) will not stay at Buckingham Palace during his visit to the United Kingdom. This ends days of back and forth - on the very morning when Harry's team had announced the opposite. The Duke of Sussex had accepted a corresponding invitation from King Charles III (77), it was initially said. A few hours later, the Palace clarified: That's not happening, as the "BBC" reports.
According to Palace sources, Harry had not accepted the offer of accommodation at a royal residence by the deadline - which expired at the end of last week. Over the weekend, he was informed that an overnight stay at Buckingham Palace was no longer possible. The Palace requires a certain minimum lead time to accommodate a guest and provide the necessary royal household staff.
Withdrawn and disappointed
Harry's side sees things differently. Despite their own announcement from the morning, the offer had been withdrawn, a spokesman for the Prince explained according to the British broadcaster. A decision they find disappointing.
This ends, for now, a discussion that has accompanied the public for about ten days. At its core, it's not about a guest room, but about security: The taxpayer-funded police protection for Harry and his family has been at the center of a tough struggle for days. The "Daily Mail" recently reported that the negotiations had moved the Duke to tears.
Without Meghan and the children
One thing is certain: Harry is traveling to London alone. Duchess Meghan (44) and their children Archie (7) and Lilibet (5) are staying away for now, after it was determined that the family would not receive taxpayer-funded police protection. However, it's possible that Meghan and the children will join him later in the week in Birmingham, where next year's Invictus Games will be held. Harry traveled for the competition and several charitable engagements in the first place.
In Birmingham, the Duke will visit the city's children's hospital and the National Exhibition Centre, the future venue for the games, according to the "BBC" report. For the later part of the trip, a side trip to Althorp was also being discussed - the family seat of Harry's mother Diana (1961-1997). There, it was said, he wanted to take his wife and children to her private grave. Whether King Charles will see his two grandchildren during all this, whom he hasn't met in person for four years, remains unclear.
Dispute dates back to 2020
The conflict over Harry's security is not new. It dates back to his withdrawal as a senior member of the royal family in 2020, when the Prince moved to the United States with his family. Since then, he has been fighting against the decision of a responsible committee to assess his protection on a case-by-case basis as only an occasional visitor.
Harry made it clear that this dispute weighs on him. He told the "BBC" in 2025 that he cannot imagine a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the United Kingdom at this time. Harry and Meghan were last in the United Kingdom together in 2022, for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Since then, Harry has always come alone; last September he met with his father.
