Prince Harry's UK Visit Hit by Palace Accommodation Dispute
Buckingham Palace denies Duke of Sussex will stay at royal residence after spokesperson says invitation was accepted
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Prince Harry's latest visit to the United Kingdom was overshadowed on Monday by fresh tensions with the royal household after Buckingham Palace contradicted claims by his spokesperson that the Duke of Sussex would stay at the royal residence during his trip to London.
Harry arrived in Britain for a five-day visit, traveling without his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and their two children, according to a source close to the prince. The visit marks the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games, which will be held in the central English city of Birmingham.
The trip quickly became the subject of renewed royal controversy after Harry's spokesperson said the prince had accepted an invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace. British media reported that the offer had come from King Charles III.
However, Buckingham Palace later disputed the claim, saying the Duke of Sussex would not be staying at the palace because he had missed the required deadline to accept the accommodation offer.
According to reports, Buckingham Palace requires advance notice before hosting guests, including members of the royal family, and officials said that condition had not been met.
Responding to the palace's position, Harry's spokesperson described the development as "disappointing," saying the offer from the king to host his son had been "withdrawn at the last moment," according to a statement provided to AFP.
The accommodation dispute adds to a series of challenges surrounding Harry's return to Britain.
The duke had initially been expected to travel with Meghan and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in what would have been the family's first joint visit to the UK in four years. However, a source close to Harry told AFP over the weekend that they would not accompany him during the London portion of the trip after the family was reportedly denied publicly funded police protection.
Harry has been engaged in a long-running legal battle over his security arrangements in Britain since stepping down from royal duties in 2020. He has argued that the removal of automatic police protection makes it difficult for him to safely visit the UK with his family.
His visit also coincides with a separate legal case unrelated to royal security. A judgment is expected on Tuesday in a lawsuit brought by Harry and several other public figures against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, over allegations of unlawful information gathering. The publisher has denied the claims.
The Duke of Sussex founded the Invictus Games in 2014 as an international sporting competition for wounded, injured, and sick military personnel and veterans. The event has become one of Harry's signature charitable initiatives and has remained central to his public work since he and Meghan withdrew from official royal duties.
Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior working members of the British royal family in 2020 before relocating to North America, a move that deepened divisions within the monarchy and led to years of public disputes, legal battles, and strained relations with other senior royals. Since then, Harry's visits to Britain have largely been limited to charity engagements, court proceedings, and major royal occasions.