It was a chaotic start to what was already a complicated week. Within the space of fifteen minutes on Monday morning, two contradictory statements were issued — one from Prince Harry's spokesperson saying he had accepted an invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace, and one from the Palace itself saying he would not be staying. The result was a very public row that laid bare just how fractured relations between the Duke of Sussex and the royal household remain.
A U-Turn, Then a Withdrawal
According to Buckingham Palace, an offer of accommodation at a royal residence was extended to Harry — originally including his wife Meghan and their children — but his team failed to confirm in time whether they would accept. The Sussex team formally declined on Saturday, before making a U-turn later the same day and asking to stay. By that point, the Palace said, it was too late to make the necessary arrangements and ensure appropriate staffing.
Harry's team tells the story rather differently. A spokesperson for the duke said that the delay in accepting was due to ongoing security concerns — specifically, the fallout from RAVEC's decision not to provide protection for his family — and that once alternative arrangements had been secured, Harry formally accepted the offer for himself.
The withdrawal, they said, came out of nowhere.
"It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment," said a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex.
The Court Case Complication
Buckingham Palace is said to have cited Tuesday's expected High Court judgment in Harry's privacy case against Associated Newspapers — publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday — as a factor in the decision. During the ten-week trial, Harry and other celebrity claimants argued that dozens of stories about them had been based on unlawfully obtained information. The concern from the Palace was one of optics: should Harry deliver a controversial response to the ruling while staying at the symbolic headquarters of the monarchy, it could compromise the King's position of constitutional neutrality.
Harry's team rejected that explanation outright, pointing out that the Palace had been aware of the judgment date since the previous Thursday. The spokesperson described the decision as "disappointing" and said the timing of the court result had been known well in advance — making it difficult to understand why it was only now being cited as a reason.
"Buckingham Palace has been aware of that judgment since last Thursday. It is therefore disappointing that the offer has now been withdrawn, with Tuesday's judgment cited as the reason."
Hopes for a Reunion Now in Doubt
The accommodation row threatens to overshadow Harry's wider charitable programme in the UK this week, which includes promoting the Invictus Games, set to be held in Birmingham next year. There had been an expectation that Harry would meet with King Charles during the visit — something that now looks considerably more complicated given the acrimony that has played out so publicly.
There had also been hopes that the King might reunite with his youngest grandchildren, who are not travelling to London for the start of the trip, though the Sussex team indicated they could join later in Birmingham. The royal family last saw Archie and Lilibet in person during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022, according to the source material.
What is clear from both sides of this dispute is that trust between the Sussex team and Buckingham Palace is in very short supply. Both camps are standing firm on contradictory versions of events, with neither showing any sign of accepting the other's account. For a week that was supposed to be about charity and goodwill, it has got off to a remarkably bitter start.
