Buckingham Palace says Prince Harry can no longer stay during UK trip

Prince Harry will not stay at Buckingham Palace during his UK trip this week, despite reports that he would be.

The Duke of Sussex had initially declined the invite, but at the last minute, he changed his mind and accepted the offer to stay at the royal residence.

It’s understood the offer of accommodation had been on the table for some time, but sources suggest Harry did not accept the invitation until Saturday.

Despite being the son of the King, the Palace withdrew its offer of a room for Harry on Friday, claiming that the room needed to be allocated and staffing arranged for the Duke of Sussex, and the deadline for that had now passed.

Palace sources also say they have concerns about Prince Harry staying in a royal residence on the day that the judgment is handed down in his long-running High Court case against the Daily Mail publishers.

Harry, along with other claimants including Elton John, Sadie Forst, Liz Hurley and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, was suing Associated Newspapers Ltd over claims they were the victims of Unlawful Information Gathering.

The newspaper group strongly rejected their claims.

Many of the claimants gave evidence in person at the High Court earlier this year.

It’s not clear what constitutional position Buckingham Palace is referring to when it says the judgment on Tuesday adds complexity and King Charles cannot appear to be compromised in any way.

A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said: “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.

“It is therefore disappointing that the offer has now been withdrawn, with Tuesday’s judgment in the Associated Newspapers Limited case cited as the reason.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 It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment.”