Prince Harry’s offer of accommodation at Buckingham Palace has been “withdrawn at the last moment” – just as it was reported that he had accepted the invitation following days of speculation.
The Duke of Sussex’s visit has already been extraordinarily dramatic, despite the fact he’s yet to actually land on home soil. It’s understood he will be arriving in London on Monday, UK time.
He will be flying in solo, having cancelled plans for his wife Meghan and their two young children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, to join him after his request for police protection was denied.
It was confirmed on Monday morning that over the weekend, Harry had finally accepted the King’s offer to stay at the official royal residence in London, meaning he would also be afforded the automatic protection that comes with it.
However, in an explosive twist, the Palace has now rescinded the offer, as has been confirmed by Harry’s spokesperson.
It came after a source told The Sun that the decision was made after Harry “failed to respond” to the Palace on time, meaning “provisions required to host him were no longer available”.
“Following RAVEC’s decision not to provide security for his family, the Duke spent last week making alternative security arrangements,” a Sussex spokesperson told news.com.au.
“Once those arrangements were in place, he was able to formally accept the offer of accommodation for himself over the weekend.”
The UK’s Telegraph reported that there were fears from the Palace that the High Court ruling on Harry’s privacy claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail, which will be handed down on Tuesday, could “compromise” the King if his son were under his roof at the same time.
A palace source told the publication that the timing of Harry’s planned visit had added a “further degree of complexity” – however, it was noted by the duke’s spokesperson that the date of the court decision had been announced several days ago.
“It is … disappointing that the offer has now been withdrawn, with Tuesday’s judgement in the Associated Newspapers Limited case being cited as the reason,” the spokesperson said.
“Buckingham Palace has been aware of that judgement since last Thursday. It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last minute.”
Last month, news.com.au exclusively revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been planning a family trip to the UK for the first time in four years, in line with celebrations around the Invictus Games One Year To Go countdown in Birmingham.
Their five-day stay was also set to include events related to Harry’s charity patronages – as well as a poignant first visit to the grave of the late Princess Diana, the Sussex children’s grandmother, at the Spencer’s ancestral home of Althorp Estate.
Within hours of the trip being officially confirmed by his team late last month, Harry was reportedly informed that the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) had denied his application for protection, causing him to reconsider his family’s involvement in the visit.
Following Britain’s Home Office’s decision, a source told the Telegraph that it was “wilfully creating conditions that are making it nearly impossible” for them to move around the country during their visit.
The refusal of the security request means that other than when they are within royal grounds, they would not receive taxpayer-funded police protection.
After being stripped of his taxpayer-funded police protection when he stepped back from royal duties in 2020, Harry’s current bespoke arrangement means he is required to provide 28 days’ notice of any upcoming visits to the UK, and decisions regarding his security are made on a case-by-case basis.
With all the recent logistical drama surrounding the visit, it appears that the long-awaited reunion between Harry’s kids and their grandfather, the King, is likely now in jeopardy.
A source close to Harry told news.com.au recently that Harry had been desperate to bring his kids back to the UK to spend time with his “wider family”, and that being unable to do so all these years had caused him “great sadness”.
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