Prince Harry has arrived in Britain without Meghan or their children after Buckingham Palace withdrew an offer of accommodation at the eleventh hour, plunging his week-long visit into fresh turmoil just as King Charles was pictured climbing aboard an Army tank in Dorset.
Prince Harry’s spokesperson has confirmed the Duke of Sussex has arrived in the UK, though not in the circumstances his team had hoped for. The 41-year-old had been due to stay at Buckingham Palace during his visit, but was told at the weekend that the accommodation was no longer available after he took too long to accept King Charles’s offer. Meghan, Archie and Lilibet have not travelled with him, and the confusion over his lodgings has added a new layer of tension to what was already shaping up to be a difficult trip.
A Slow Response, Then a Withdrawn Offer
King Charles is understood to have asked Harry to give an answer on the Buckingham Palace offer by last Friday, but the Duke continued to go back and forth over the weekend. He initially turned down his father’s gesture before attempting to accept it just hours later. Royal officials informed him on Saturday evening that the stay could no longer go ahead, as the staffing and hospitality arrangements required were no longer in place.
Despite that, Harry’s team briefed several media outlets, including the BBC, on Monday that he would in fact be staying at Buckingham Palace during his visit, citing direct discussions with the King. Those claims were publicly challenged within minutes, only hours before Harry was due to land in Britain, with Palace sources saying the Duke had simply failed to respond in time despite having had several weeks to weigh up the offer.
Harry’s Spokesman Voices ‘Disappointment’
Harry’s spokesman subsequently released a strongly worded statement accusing Buckingham Palace of withdrawing the offer “at the last moment.” The statement read: “I am aware of multiple briefings from Buckingham Palace last week suggesting that the Duke had not accepted the offer of accommodation at a Royal Residence. Following RAVEC’s decision not to provide security for his family, the Duke spent last week making alternative security arrangements. Once those arrangements were in place, he was able to formally accept the offer of accommodation for himself over the weekend.”
The statement went on to question the timing of the reversal: “It is therefore disappointing that the offer has now been withdrawn, with Tuesday’s judgment in the Associated Newspapers Limited case cited as the reason. Buckingham Palace has, however, been aware of that judgment since last Thursday. It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment.” Sources close to the Duke say the drawn-out negotiations over his security arrangements, which have spanned more than a week, have left him “in tears.”
Charles Carries On Regardless
As the row unfolded, King Charles appeared unmoved by the controversy surrounding his son’s visit. On Monday, the monarch was seen climbing aboard a Challenger 3 battle tank during a royal engagement with the British Army in Bovington, Dorset, carrying on with his official duties even as the dispute over Harry’s accommodation played out in public.
Meghan and the Children Stay Behind — For Now
The Duchess of Sussex and the couple’s two children will not be travelling to London with Harry, after a request for additional security for the family was turned down. The family are believed to have been holidaying in Europe in the run-up to the visit, and sources close to the couple have not ruled out Meghan and the children joining Harry in the UK later in the week. Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, have not seen their grandfather, King Charles, since 2022.
Meghan is expected to reunite with Harry in Birmingham on Friday for an event promoting next year’s Invictus Games, the charity for wounded servicemen that Harry founded in 2014. It is understood the couple could bring Archie and Lilibet with them if they travel to other parts of the UK later in the trip.
A Trip Already Overshadowed by Security Concerns
The dispute over accommodation adds to what has already been a fraught build-up to the Sussexes’ five-day UK visit. Sources have previously said there have been “real and credible threats,” including threats of a terrorist nature, against Harry and his family while in the capital — concerns that have shaped much of the past week’s negotiations over his security arrangements during the trip.
