Prince Harry's Buckingham Palace stay cancelled after deadline missed, spokesperson calls withdrawal 'disappointing'

Accommodation dispute

Prince Harry's planned stay at Buckingham Palace during his visit to the UK was cancelled on Monday after a morning of contradictory statements. His team initially announced he had accepted an invitation from King Charles III, but the Palace quickly denied it, citing a missed deadline. Palace sources told the BBC that Harry failed to respond by the end of last week, and he was informed over the weekend that staying at the Palace was no longer possible. A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said the offer had been withdrawn, describing the decision as disappointing.

It is unclear why the accommodation offer, after being formally accepted, was withdrawn at the last minute.

Security concerns keep family away

Harry arrived in London alone on Monday. His wife Meghan, 44, and children Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, did not travel with him after the UK government declined to provide taxpayer-funded police protection for the family. The couple had originally planned a joint visit, the first with their children in four years, but security fears forced a change. Harry has repeatedly expressed concern about his family's safety in the UK, and without official protection he relies on private security unless staying on royal estates.

Visit agenda

The five-day trip centres on preparations for the Invictus Games, the sporting event for wounded veterans that Harry founded in 2014. The next edition takes place in Birmingham in July 2027. During his stay, Harry is expected to visit Birmingham Children's Hospital and the National Exhibition Centre, the future Games venue. A later stop at Althorp, the family seat of his late mother Diana, was also discussed, where he had hoped to bring his wife and children to her private grave.

Legal backdrop

Adding to the tension, a decision is expected on Tuesday in the phone-hacking trial against the publisher of the Daily Mail. Harry and other public figures accuse the newspaper's reporters of using illegal methods to obtain stories. The timing of the ruling, during his visit, may have influenced the Palace's handling of the accommodation, according to some reports.