JUST IN: King Charles has withdrawn the Duke’s invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace during his UK visit, and the REAL REASON behind the last-minute decision has left royal watchers stunned
King Charles yanks invitation for Prince Harry to stay at Buckingham Palace during UK visit
Prince Harry will not be staying at Buckingham Palace during his trip to the UK this week — after King Charles yanked the invitation, according to a report.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, had accepted an offer to stay at the London royal residence, his team announced Monday. However, just minutes after the announcement, Buckingham Palace revoked the invitation, with a source telling The Telegraph that the rogue royal accepted the offer too late.
The decision to revoke Prince Harry’s invitation was made in consultation with his father, the King, the outlet reported.
Prince Harry seen arriving at the Royal Courts of Justice in April last year.AFP via Getty Images
The Palace requires a minimum notice period to ensure appropriate accommodations and staffing.
Harry is heading to the UK for a countdown event promoting his Invictus Games competition, which will be held in Birmingham next July. His visit also coincides with the verdict of his privacy lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers, expected on Tuesday.
The Palace also cited the timing of the verdict in the privacy case as a reason for its decision to yank the invitation, saying it added a “further degree of complexity.”
A spokesperson for Harry said it was “disappointing” that the palace had retracted its offer, adding that it knew the verdict could be delivered this week.
The Duke had formally declined the offer to stay at Buckingham Palace on Saturday, before changing his mind, The Telegraph reported.
Harry is traveling to the UK alone without his wife, Meghan, and their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
Harry will head to the UK alone, meaning his children will not see their grandfather king Charles./ SplashNews.com
His wife and children were expected to travel, but plans were reportedly abandoned after a request for police protection was blocked.
Meghan was last officially in the UK for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022.
Harry has repeatedly expressed a desire to bring his children to Britain, which they have not visited for several years, but has said that concerns about security have complicated those plans.
“The Duke continues to explore every available option to enable the visit to proceed safely and to give his children the opportunity to enjoy the UK,” his spokesperson said last week.
Harry will not stay at Buckingham Palace — even though his team said he had accepted an invite.AFP via Getty Images
The prince has long argued that security concerns put his family at risk when visiting Britain.
Last year, he lost a legal challenge against a government decision to remove the automatic police protection afforded to him after he stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States with Meghan.
The planned visit had raised the prospect of a rare meeting between Archie and Lilibet and their grandfather, King Charles, who has seen little of the children in recent years as relations between Harry and the royal family remain strained.
Last year, Harry said he wanted a reconciliation with his family after years of public disputes, including criticism of royal life in television interviews and in his memoir, “Spare”.
Harry’s plea for a reconciliation comes as Charles continues to battle cancer.
SOURCE: https://nypost.com/2026/07/06/world-news/king-charles-yanks-invitation-for-prince-harry-to-stay-at-buckingham-palace/