Prince Harry’s U.K. Return Thrown Into Chaos: Duke Accuses Royals of Withdrawing Offer to Stay at Buckingham Palace
Prince Harry's return to the U.K. has been overshadowed by an accommodation dispute with the palace.
July 6 2026, Published 3:55 p.m. ET
Prince Harry's U.K. return has been thrown into chaos after the Duke claimed King Charles withdrew his offer for him to stay at Buckingham Palace.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Harry, 41, initially turned down the proposal, but he eventually agreed to stay at the royal residence.
Prince Harry Arrived in U.K. Solo
Harry touched down in the U.K. on Monday without wife Meghan Markle and their two children.
However, because he didn't accept the offer until Saturday, the Palace reportedly decided against providing Harry the accommodation, claiming that the deadline had passed and they allegedly did not have adequate time to prepare.
Palace sources also said there were 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 Daily Mail publishers.
Doubts Grow Over Meghan Meeting King Charles
Meghan's absence from the trip cast doubt over when she'd meet with King Charles.
Harry was due to return to the U.K. with wife Meghan Markle, 44, and their two children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, but instead, he arrived alone on Monday.
Doubts now remain whether Meghan and their kids will meet King Charles for the first time in four years.
The Suits actress has not made an official trip to the U.K. since 2022.
Harry's Spokesperson Calls Situation 'Disappointing'
Harry's spokesperson addressed the retracted offer of a Buckingham Palace stay.
Addressing the situation, a spokesperson for Harry said: "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," the statement continued. "Once those arrangements were in place, he was able to formally accept the offer of accommodation for himself over the weekend."
The spokesman called it "disappointing" that the offer for a place to stay was "withdrawn."
"Buckingham Palace has, however, been aware of that judgment since last Thursday," the spokesperson added. "It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment."
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The Duke has repeatedly trashed the royals since moving to the U.S.
This comes after Harry faced a lengthy legal battle with the Home Office over security arrangements for him and his family when in the U.K. His level of protection famously changed when he stepped down as a working royal in 2020.
When the Duke lost a Court of Appeal challenge last year, he gave a BBC interview in which he expressed hopes of a reconciliation with his family, revealing Charles allegedly would not speak to him because of his security court case.
Harry added: "I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point and the things that they're going to miss is, well, everything you know."
However, there were already tensions between them for years prior to the security dispute. The Duke, who stepped down from the working monarchy six years ago, leveled a barrage of embarrassing accusations at the King, his stepmother, Queen Camilla, his brother, Prince William, and his sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, his Netflix documentary and in his autobiography, Spare, since moving to California.
