In this episode of Keeping Up With The Crown, we may not have salads and Kardashian-Jenner scream fights, but we do have a ‘King said, Prince said’ quarrel over a palace (eat your heart out, Hulu!).
Let’s set the scene. On Monday, Prince Harry arrived in the United Kingdom for a five-day visit. Around the same time, a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex announced that the 41-year-old had accepted an invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace for his trip (pfft, whatever, I’m sure my hostel was way nicer).
However, very, very shortly after, the Palace said (albeit in a much more stately manner) ‘Nuh-uh, he’s not staying here.’
According to the BBC, royal sources claimed that Prince Harry had been informed on Saturday that he could no longer stay at the Palace as he didn’t accept the invite in time. (You see, this is why I always check the T&Cs for Airbnbs).
Watch: The chaos behind Prince Harry and Meghan’s UK trip. Post continues after video.
Video via Mamamia.
The source went on to say that Harry had initially declined the accommodation offer before changing his mind later that day, but it was too late.
Now, this is where things get a bit more litigious; so apologies in advance for the tone shift.
You see, reportedly, Harry had originally planned to bring his wife, Meghan Sussex (née Markle) and their two kids, Archie and Lilibet, with him to the UK, but is said to have decided against it due to security concerns.
This is because, since stepping back as senior royals, the Sussexes no longer automatically receive taxpayer-funded security from the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) — more on that later.
According to Harry’s team, organising alternative security for the trip caused delays in the duke’s RSVP.
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Harry 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.
“It is therefore disappointing that the offer has now been withdrawn.”
The same source went on to question the timing of the decision.
On July 2, it was announced that the result of Prince Harry’s case against Associated Newspapers would coincide with the start of his trip to the UK.
The case, which the 41-year-old took to court with other prominent figures (including Sir Elton John, Liz Hurley, Sir Simon Hughes, Sadie Frost, and Baroness Doreen Lawrence) claims that Associated Newspapers used unlawful methods for getting information for stories — which the publishers vehemently deny.
In the statement to PEOPLE, the source claimed that the Palace had been aware of the timing of the judgment since last Thursday, saying, “It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment.”
The Palace has not linked its decision to the court case.
Harry, who rarely visits his home turf these days, is in the UK to promote the Invictus Games, (a biennial sport event for wounded, injured, and sick military service personnel and veterans), which are set to be held in Birmingham next year.
Reports have suggested that Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet might join Harry later this week in Althorp, Northampton — the family estate of Princess Diana — to visit the private grave of his late mother.
The last time Meghan joined Harry in the UK was in 2022 for the funeral of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The couple relocated to Montecito, California, in 2020 after stepping back as senior royals. Their relationship with the royals has been icy ever since, not least due to those security disputes.
Though Harry argued that he, Meghan, and their kids required publicly-funded police protection while in the UK, regardless of their changed royal status, he ultimately lost in court. Instead, their security is now decided on a case-by-case basis by RAVEC.
It came as a blow to the duke, who told the BBC in 2025: “I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”
Harry made a brief solo trip to the UK in February 2024 after learning about his father’s cancer diagnosis. The following year, in September 2025, he had a face-to-face meeting with the king. But their relationship is still strained.
The Duke of Sussex previously the BBC he would “love reconciliation” with his family, but that’s “entirely up to them.”
Of course, King Charles isn’t as forthcoming with the press (you know, stiff upper lip and all that). So we have to read between the airtight lines of royal press releases.
For now, all we know is that the father and son probably aren’t going to be having any slumber parties this week.
Feature Image: Getty