Buckingham Palace withdraws invitation for Prince Harry to stay during UK visit

Buckingham Palace has said Prince Harry will not be staying there this week, despite his spokesperson announcing so this morning.

The news broke on Monday (6 July) that the Duke of Sussex had reportedly accepted an invitation to stay at the royal residence while in London on his UK trip this week.

Outlets, including Sky News and the BBC, had reported earlier today that the Duke of Sussex would be visiting the royal residence solo and would not be accompanied by his wife, Meghan Markle, or their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, when he visits London.

However, the BBC has now issued a new report, outlining that Buckingham Palace has confirmed this will not be happening, as royal sources allegedly claimed that the Duke had not formally responded to the offer by the deadline, which was the end of last week.

Prince Harry will apparently not be staying at Buckingham Palace this week, despite earlier reports (Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images)

Harry was reportedly told over the weekend that he could no longer stay at the residence, as a minimum notice period is required to make sure a guest can be hosted, with staff from the Royal Household provided.

Speaking to the broadcaster, a spokesperson for Harry has described the decision as 'disappointing' and said that, despite their earlier statement, they understand that the offer to stay has now been 'withdrawn'.

The purpose of the five-day-long overseas visit is to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games, which will take place in Birmingham next year.

Harry and Meghan resigned from their royal responsibilities and left the UK for the United States back in 2020, citing alleged mistreatment by several senior members of the monarchy.

Harry previously claimed that his dad would not speak to him because of his security court case (Matt Dunham - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Since then, the Duke has insisted on several occasions that he's keen to reconcile with his family - especially his father - leaving fans with high hopes for this trip.

It's been confirmed that only Harry will be making the journey down to London, no decision has been made as to whether his wife and children will accompany him for other parts of the UK visit outside of the capital.

There is hope that King Charles III will be able to reunite with his youngest grandchildren for the first time in four years.

Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, last saw their grandfather in person during the late Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebrations in 2022.

The update comes after reports last week that the Duke was still initially trying to find a way to safely bring his wife and children to the UK, amid concerns over their security and confusion over where they will stay.

Meghan Markle and the couple's two young children Archie and Lilibet won't be joining Harry in London (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

As per Sky News, Charles had offered to put Harry, Meghan, and the kids up at an unnamed royal residence; however, it was reported last month that the Prince's request for taxpayer-funded police protection had recently been denied.

Harry has faced a protracted legal battle with the Home Office over the security arrangements for him and his family when in the UK after his level of protection changed when he stepped down as a working royal in 2020.

When he lost a Court of Appeal challenge against the Home Office last year, he gave a BBC interview in which he expressed hopes of a reconciliation with his family, revealing that his dad Charles would not speak to him because of his security court case.

Harry said at the time: “I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point, and the things that they’re going to miss is, well, everything you know.”