Prince Harry’s stay in London has been thrown into confusion after Buckingham Palace contradicted his spokesperson and denied he would be hosted at the royal residence.

The duke was set to arrive in the UK on Monday to begin a five-day visit without his wife Meghan and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, after their police protection reportedly fell through.

Harry’s spokesperson said he had accepted an invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace, UK media reported. However, the palace shortly after said the duke would not stay at the royal residence after he missed a deadline to take up the offer.

Buckingham Palace reportedly requires minimum notice to host guests like the prince, which was not met.

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Harry’s spokesman said it was “disappointing” the offer to be hosted by the king had been “withdrawn at the last moment”, in a statement sent to AFP.

The accommodation confusion is the latest headache for the prince, whose visit is to mark the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham. Harry launched the games for wounded veterans in 2014.

The trip was also meant to be the prince’s first family visit back to Britain in four years. But a source close to the duke told AFP at the weekend that the family would not accompany him on the London leg after he was reportedly refused royal protection.

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The visit will coincide with the delivery of a judgment, expected on Tuesday, in the lawsuit he and other celebrities brought against Associated Newspapers, owner of the Daily Mail, over alleged unlawful information gathering.

Harry has only returned to the UK on fleeting visits for charity engagements and various legal trials since he and Meghan split from the royal family in 2020 and moved to North America.

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