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The offer was there… until it wasn’t. When a solo Prince Harry finally jetted into the UK on July 6, he arrived amid escalating drama.
For the 41-year-old was not only without wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and the couple’s two children, Archie and Lilibet: he was without royal lodging too – after reportedly taking too long to accept an offer of accommodation from his father King Charles.
The snub led a furious Harry to issue a response via his spokesperson, who accused the palace of withdrawing the invite “at the last moment”.
“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,” Harry’s rep told media.
“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.”
The spokesperson said it was “disappointing” that the offer had “been withdrawn”, adding that the forthcoming judgement over Harry’s phone hacking case against the Daily Mail – which was on Tuesday dismissed by a judge in full – had been cited as the reason.
“Buckingham Palace has, however, been aware of that judgment since last Thursday,” the spokesperson continued. “It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment.”
While the palace didn’t respond publicly to explosive statement, it’s understood that Charles asked Harry to signal his intent to stay in royal lodgings by Friday July 3. However, his son remained undecided until after the date passed.
Daily Mail reported Harry initially declined his father’s offer, before having a change of heart and signalling that he would accept the offer hours later.
By then, it seems, the King’s patience had worn thin.
“Everything that has happened the last couple of weeks is being seen by most people around Charles as more proof that Harry thinks the world revolves around him and his wife,” a source tells Woman’s Day.
“The King has been incredibly understanding, but Harry is pushing his luck and taking his father’s patience for granted.
“It’s not even about the security issue, it’s all the extra demands, the constant briefings and this feeling that Harry expects everyone to dance to his tune.
“There’s a growing sense that Meghan’s way of handling things has rubbed off on him and he’s become convinced everything has to happen on his terms.”
Ahead of Harry’s UK return, sources within the royal household told the Sun they were “weary” and “wary” about the drama surrounding the Duke’s visit.
One royal aide went as far as to tell the Sun, “The King was being tested beyond endurance”.
“The King’s patience snapped,” the aide explained. “He wants to be a loving father and grandfather, but that was being tested beyond endurance. He is not willing to be pushed around, nor to indulge a constant state of chaos.”
A source told Woman’s Day that Charles was an “extremely busy man” and claimed that despite this, “Harry seems to think he can squeeze his father into his diary whenever it suits him and still expect the red carpet to be rolled out”.
“The feeling inside royal circles is that if he genuinely wants peace, he needs to stop making demands and start showing a bit more humility, otherwise nothing is going to change.”
