Prince Harry’s U.K. trip sparks fresh dispute over Buckingham Palace stay

LONDON — Britain’s Prince Harry will likely not be staying at the monarch’s longtime official residence when he visits London later this week, his spokesman said on Monday, in the latest twist in the his turbulent relationship with his royal relations.

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Harry, who lives in the United States with his wife, Meghan, and their two children had been due to stay at Buckingham Palace in central London, his spokesman said. The former royal and his wife have lived in the United States since 2020 after they stepped down as working members of the royal family and amid an embarrassing public split with the family.

Citing Buckingham Palace, multiple outlets reported that that the Household requires a minimum notice period to ensure a guest can be hosted at a Royal residence and that the Duke of Sussex had missed a deadline.

But Harry’s spokesman said it was “disappointing that the offer has now been withdrawn.”

Harry had 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,” he added.

“It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment,” the spokesman said.

Buckingham Palace told NBC News Monday it was not commenting on the matter.

Harry, 41, is due to visit the cities of London and Birmingham for a series of charity events this week. His wife and children Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, were initially due to accompany him but that was also walked back over the weekend, sparking further speculation about the relationship between King Charles III and his youngest son since Harry stepped back and later aired his grievances in his memoir “Spare” in 2023.

While the spokesman told British media Harry’s family would no longer be joining him on the trip to London, citing a dispute with the government over security provisions for them — he did not rule out that they might join his trip later when he visits Birmingham.

Harry’s trip starting Tuesday also coincides with an expected court judgement in his privacy claim against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail. His representative said it could be a factor in the offer withdrawal but said Buckingham Palace had been aware of the impending judgement in the case “since last Thursday.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were last together in the U.K. in 2022, for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Harry, the fifth in line to the throne, has visited the country alone multiple times, and met briefly with the king on a trip last September after claiming his father had previously refused to speak to him.

Harry had publicly alleged bitter internal feuds, including the breakdown of his relationship with Prince William, and claims his brother physically attacked him. He also spoke about his father appearing to be concerned at being overshadowed by his sons and their wives in the media. Harry said his explosive book was “not about revenge, it is about accountability.”

The king, who is still undergoing treatment for cancer, has rarely seen his two grandchildren since they were born. After making public his personal grievances about his family in interviews and in his memoir, Harry said in May 2025, he wanted the fighting to end, adding that he did not “know how much longer my father has.”