Prince Harry will not stay at Buckingham Palace after accepting the King's invitation too late

Prince Harry will not stay at Buckingham Palace this week after accepting his father, King Charles' invitation too late.

The Duke of Sussex - who lives in California - will travel to the UK this week to promote his Invictus Games and make a string of other public appearances, and while his team initially announced on Monday (06.07.26) that he will be based at the royal residence for part of his trip, it has now emerged that will not be the case.

Insiders said Harry had not formally responded to the king's offer of accommodation at a royal residence by a deadline of the end of last week, and so was told over the weekend he could no longer stay at Buckingham Palace because a minimum notice period is needed to ensure guests can be hosted and Royal Household staff provided.

The 41-year-old royal's representative admitted the decision was "disappointing" and accused the palace of withdrawing the offer "at the last moment" as they explained Harry's delay had been due to him putting security measures in place after it was confirmed he wouldn't receive official protection.

The representative 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. Once those arrangements were in place, he was able to formally accept the offer of accommodation for himself over the weekend."