Prince Harry denied Buckingham Palace accommodation after Duke of Sussex fails to respond by deadline

Prince Harry will not be staying at Buckingham Palace during this week’s visit to London, with the royal residence contradicting the Duke of Sussex’s announcement earlier today that he would be doing so.

Royal sources have told the BBC that while Buckingham Palace had issued an invitation to the US-based royal to stay during his UK visit, he had not responded to the offer by its deadline last week.

The BBC reported that he was also informed over the weekend that the offer to stay had been rescinded.

It comes just hours after Prince Harry’s team had announced his homecoming at the royal residence would be part of his trip to London this week to promote the 2027 Invictus Games and charity events.

A spokesperson later confirmed to the British broadcaster that the offer to stay at the palace had been withdrawn.

The Duke of Sussex team member described the development as disappointing while royal sources have largely put the development down to the amount of planning and redirecting of staff needed ahead of any guest’s stay at Buckingham Palace.

Prince Harry’s wife Meghan and their two children will also not be travelling to London with him, although a visit elsewhere in the United Kingdom has not been ruled out.

The younger son of King ‌Charles will also be visiting Birmingham later this week, given the British city will host next year’s Invictus Games.

Meghan, seven-year-old Archie and five-year-old Lilibet were expected to travel with the prince but his spokesperson said they had now dropped plans to travel to London.

The Telegraph newspaper reported that the decision was taken ‌after a request ‌for police protection ⁠was denied.

It is also unclear whether there will be a meeting between the King and his two grandchildren as part of the visit’s revised schedule.

Archie and Lilibet last saw their grandfather in person during Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebrations in 2022.

The Prince has long argued that security concerns put his family at risk when ‌visiting the UK.

The Duke of Sussex’s long-running dispute with the UK government over security stretches back to his decision to step back from his role as a senior royal in 2020 and move to the US with his family.

He has contested a decision by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee’s Risk Management Board that because he was going to be an infrequent visitor to the UK, his security would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

He has previously said he would not bring his family to the country without improved security arrangements, telling the BBC in 2025 that he could not “see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point”.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were last together in the UK in 2022, at the time of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

He has since travelled to the country alone, and met his father on a trip last September.

with AAP