Prince Harry Reportedly Turned Down a Stay at a Royal Residence—and, Ergo, a Chance to Meet with His Father, King Charles—Because of Security Concerns

In today’s iteration of “Who snubbed who?” we find ourselves re-examining Prince Harry’s recent trip to the U.K., where, via a spokesperson, he made clear that his father, King Charles, had turned down the opportunity to meet with him while he was back in his home country celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Invictus Games: “In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not the Duke will meet with his father while in the U.K. this week it, unfortunately, will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full program,” the spokesperson said. “The Duke, of course, is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.”

Well, there’s two sides to every story, and usually the truth is somewhere in between them. Now, per The Daily Mail, the other side is coming out, this one claiming that it was Harry that turned down a meeting with Charles in London because it didn’t come with the security provisions Harry was seeking. It is also being re-upped, after first getting traction soon after Harry was in the U.K., that Harry chose to stay in a hotel after reportedly being offered to stay at a royal residence.

Let’s unpack this: according to The Daily Mail, Harry “is said to have declined his father’s offer [to stay in a royal property] because it did not come with any taxpayer-funded personal security provision, which would leave him staying in a ‘visible location with public entrance and exit points and no police protection,’” the outlet reports. According to The Telegraph, “Instead, he chose to stay at a hotel—presumably with members of the public—because it meant he ‘could come and go unseen.’” 

The Telegraph maintained that Harry “remains devastated” about the withdrawal of his automatic right to police protection, which he is still battling the Home Office over through the British courts. He now has to give the Metropolitan Police 28 days’ notice before coming to the U.K. if he wishes to apply for security provision, The Daily Mail reports, “with each request assessed on an individual basis by RAVEC, the committee which oversees the protection of royalty and public figures,” the outlet continues.

While it remains unclear exactly where the King offered Harry a room, “St. James’ Palace is a strong possibility,” The Daily Mail writes. “Princess Beatrice has a permanent apartment there, while Princess Anne has a suite of rooms—and a parking place—she uses while staying in London. Other members of the royal family use it on an ad hoc basis.”

Perhaps most importantly, it is situated directly adjacent to Clarence House, the King and Queen’s London home. To the meeting aspect, Harry staying at St. James’ “would have allowed father and son a place to meet in relative privacy and is guarded round-the-clock by a ‘ring of steel,’” according to The Daily Mail. “In fact all royal residences—whichever one Harry was offered—feature armed guards at entry and exit points, unlike any London hotel, and boast the most sophisticated security systems in the country to protect working members of the family.” 

While Buckingham Palace isn’t commenting on this directly, The Daily Mail writes of Harry’s spokesperson’s statement that it “strongly suggested that, while Harry was keen to meet his father, the King was effectively ‘too busy’ to see him. However, it has since become clear that, while His Majesty did indeed have a packed program of engagements that week, the King had made conciliatory overtures that would have enabled him to see his son.”

As The Telegraph put it, “had the invitation [for Harry to stay at the royal residence] been accepted, it may have provided an opportunity to spend some time together outside of their hectic schedules.” 

Charles and Harry last saw one another in person back in February, when, upon learning of his father’s cancer diagnosis, Harry flew from his home base of L.A. to London to just spend 30 minutes with his father on February 6, who was leaving for Sandringham that very day with Camilla. Harry was back in the U.K. from May 7 until he and wife Meghan Markle arrived in Nigeria on May 10, during which time he took part in a Service of Thanksgiving honoring 10 years of the Invictus Games at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, just a few miles away from where the King was hosting a garden party at the same time. It is as of yet unknown when Harry will return to his home country for another visit.