Regardless of the Sussexes’ UK trip shakes out over the course of this week, I genuinely hope this marks the complete end of Prince Harry trying to work with or negotiate with his father or the palace machinery whatsoever. This was a test and everyone failed. King Charles failed the basics of fatherhood. The courtiers failed by hysterically briefing increasingly toxic messages to the British press. Prince William failed because he’s a toxic idiot. And Prince Harry failed because after a decade of the Windsors treating him, his wife and children like trash, he still trotted up to kick the football like Charlie Brown. He’s been serving himself up on a platter to be humiliated and punished by these terrible people for too long. Enough. The latest news, breaking this morning, is that Prince Harry tried to agree to stay at Buckingham Palace upon his arrival in London today. Only King Charles told Harry that the offer had been rescinded because Harry took too long to accept the invitation. As I said, enough is enough.
The Duke of Sussex has been told he can no longer stay at Buckingham Palace, throwing his forthcoming visit into chaos. The development came on Monday morning, shortly after the Duke’s team had revealed that he had accepted an offer to stay at the royal residence.
Only minutes after that decision had been announced, and just hours before he was due to arrive in the UK, a palace source indicated that the invitation had been accepted too late. The decision to rescind the Duke’s invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace was made in consultation with the King, it was understood. The eleventh-hour developments have thrown the trip into chaos.
The Duke was said to have formally declined the offer to stay at Buckingham Palace on Saturday, before changing his mind and accepting the invitation. However, palace sources said that, by then, the appropriate hospitality and staffing provision was no longer available, as the household required a minimum period of notice. As of Monday morning, however, the Duke was seemingly unaware this was the case.
Another complicating issue had been that the High Court ruling on the Duke’s privacy claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail is due to be handed down on Tuesday. There were fears that could “compromise” the King if his son was staying at a royal residence. The court’s decision to publish the ruling just as the Duke makes his first public appearance in the UK in ten months was made public last Thursday.
A palace source said on Monday that the timing had added “a further degree of complexity” to the specific dates requested. A spokesman for the Duke said the withdrawal of the offer was “disappointing”, not least as the palace had been aware of the High Court’s schedule for several days.
On Saturday, it was confirmed that after days of handwringing, the Duchess of Sussex and their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, would not accompany the Duke to London after taxpayer-funded police protection was denied. It remains unclear whether they will now travel at all. The impending visit had already caused tensions with Buckingham Palace over multiple last-minute changes, briefings and counter briefings.
Besides the Lucy/Charlie Brown/football of it all, I hope that the Sussexes have learned a lot about how they need to move around. As in, no conversations with the palace either way. Always make plans to stay away from royal property. Don’t give any additional information beyond the obligatory 28-day notice, and maybe not even that, since it’s clear that RAVEC will never give the Sussexes security anyway. Harry and Meghan now have one year to plan around Harry’s toxic and horrible family for the actual Birmingham Invictus Games. Their 2027 plans should not be given to Charles or anyone within the royal institution. If Charles wants to see Archie and Lili, he needs to come to them and make plans specifically around them. Which Charles won’t do because he doesn’t care. I sincerely hope that Prince Harry now understands all of this.
NEW: Prince Harry’s spokesperson’s statement regarding the withdrawal of accommodation at Buckingham Palace by King Charles. pic.twitter.com/5QINKJBBU8
— Anna
(@anna_itsonlyme) July 6, 2026
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
