Prince Harry has been told he cannot stay at Buckingham Palace this week after he failed to accept an invitation in time, a royal source said on Monday, underlining the still fraught relationship between King Charles and his second son.
Harry had been planning to bring his two children for their first visit to Britain in four years, but on Saturday his spokesperson said Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, would not be coming to London.
The family failed to agree a security deal with the government.
With the family trip off and the failure to agree on where Harry, who has lived in California since 2020 with his American wife Meghan, will stay.
It appears Harry’s stated desire to reconcile with the royal family has made little progress.
A royal source said that despite repeated requests for clarity, Harry did not respond to an invitation to stay at a royal residence in time for a deadline set to give staff time to prepare.
The prince then formally declined the invite, before later changing his mind, the source added.
Harry’s spokesperson said the prince had been unable to immediately accept the accommodation offer because he was making alternative security arrangements following a decision by the government not to provide protection.
The 41-year-old has been estranged from most of his family since quitting as a working royal six years ago and has repeatedly criticised them in interviews and in his memoir “Spare”, published in 2023.
He is due in London on Tuesday and Birmingham later this week for a series of charity engagements. He will also be in the country to find out whether he has won a UK court case against the publisher of the Daily Mail over allegations of unlawful behaviour.
–Reuters–
