Prince Harry will not be staying at Buckingham Palace during his upcoming visit to London this week, a trip he had originally planned to take with his wife Meghan and their two children. Harry is scheduled to attend engagements centered on charities, including the Invictus Games.
An offer for Harry to stay at the palace was made and then formally declined by his team on Saturday morning. Later the same day, the offer was accepted, but a royal source told ABC News that it was too late for the Royal Household to accommodate the request.
A spokesperson for Harry stated that the withdrawal of accommodation is "disappointing" and that it is "unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment."
According to the spokesperson, the palace cited the timing of a legal case ruling as the reason for withdrawing the accommodation. Harry and other celebrities brought the case against the publishers of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers, and a ruling was expected on Tuesday, the same day as Harry's first London engagement.
Buckingham Palace has not commented on the prince's visit or his accommodations. Confusion also surrounds security arrangements for the trip.
Harry will travel to London alone, without Meghan, 5-year-old Lilibet, and 7-year-old Archie, due to security concerns for the family. The Sussexes had previously announced they would visit the U.K. as a family of four from July 7-11, marking their first known trip to the U.K. since June 2022. It is undecided if Meghan and the children will join Harry in Birmingham, where he has engagements scheduled on July 9 and 10.
Since stepping back from royal duties in 2020 and moving to California, the Sussexes have relied on private security. In May 2025, Harry lost an appeal challenging the British government's decision to reduce his publicly funded security.
It remains uncertain whether Harry or his family, if they join him, will meet with King Charles III or other members of the royal family during the visit. Archie and Lilibet have not seen their grandfather in person since their 2022 visit to the U.K.