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Prince Harry’s accommodation plans in London were thrown into confusion Monday after Buckingham Palace contradicted his spokesperson and denied he would stay there, in the latest snag to his U.K. visit.
The estranged prince was to arrive in the U.K. to start a five-day visit, without his family, a source close to Harry told the AFP news agency, after their police protection reportedly fell through.
The royal drama continued as the Duke of Sussex’s spokesperson said he had accepted an invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace, CBS News’ partner network the BBC reported Monday.
However, shortly after, the palace said Harry would not stay at the royal residence after he missed a deadline at the end of last week to take up the offer.
Buckingham Palace needs a minimum notice to host guests like the prince, which was not met, sources tell CBS News.
The sources add that the Palace made multiple requests for clarification on the offer of accommodation but didn’t receive a formal response.
The offer was formally declined on Saturday then later belatedly accepted, according to the sources, by which time the deadline had passed.
Genya SAVILOV /AFP via Getty Images
The Sussexes’ narrative is different. A spokesperson for the Duke said Buckingham Palace had withdrawn their offer of hosting after formally accepting it, according to the BBC.
“It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment,” they said.
CBS News contacted Harry’s representatives for comment but did not receive an immediate reply.
It is the latest headache for the prince, whose visit is to mark the one year countdown to the Invictus Games in the central city of Birmingham. Harry launched the games for wounded veterans in 2014.
It was also meant to be the prince’s first family trip back to Britain with his wife Meghan, son Archie and daughter Lilibet in four years.
But a source close to the Duke of Sussex told AFP that the family would not accompany him on the London leg after he was reportedly refused royal protection.
The trip will coincide with the delivery of a judgment, expected Tuesday, in the lawsuit he and other celebrities brought against Associated Newspapers, owner of the Daily Mail, over alleged unlawful information gathering.
Harry has only returned to the U.K. on fleeting visits for charity engagements and various legal trials since he and Meghan split from the royal family in 2020 and moved to North America.
