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Back in May, Prince Harry visited the UK. He was invited specifically because the Ministry of Defense organized a church service for the ten-year anniversary of the Invictus Games. Harry’s visit was well-previewed for months, Harry gave everyone enough notice of his visit and King Charles dutifully scheduled several events during the same days when Harry would be in town. When Harry approached his father’s office about scheduling a father-son meeting, Harry was rebuffed. Harry released a public statement saying that because of Charles’s “full program,” there would be no meeting. That one statement set off two full weeks of tantrums from Buckingham Palace as Charles and his aides scrambled to explain why Charles refused to see Harry and why Harry wasn’t offered a room in one of the many royal homes in the UK.
None of their explanations made much sense and there were a lot of contradictory and gaslighting palace briefings. One thing I believed was that Charles did offer Harry a room… but no security. As in, Harry would be allowed to have a room in whatever palace, but there was a security issue and so Harry just stayed in a hotel (like he did the two previous times he visited London). If Charles is going to do anything, it’s put Harry and Harry’s family in danger, you know? Well, months later, the palace decided to give a new briefing on this months-old drama, conveniently timed for the Sussexes’ Colombian tour.
The Duke of Sussex was offered the chance to stay at Buckingham Palace when he last visited Britain but turned it down to stay in a hotel, The Times can reveal. The invitation to use apartments at the palace was made when the duke came to London in May to mark the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games, his Paralympic-style sporting competition. Although it was already known that the King, 75, had offered accommodation to his younger son, it had not been disclosed that the rooms were in Buckingham Palace, the most prestigious location. The King was staying nearby at Clarence House.
The Sussexes landed in Bogota, Colombia, on Thursday to begin another trip. They will move on to the Caribbean and Pacific regions of Cartagena and Cali. Harry has taken the UK government to the High Court in an attempt to have his right to Scotland Yard security reinstated when he visits Britain. However, he is thought to see a distinction between the security risks facing him in Britain and travelling to Colombia with the benefit of the state’s police protection.
A well-placed source said of the duke’s visit in May: “I don’t know what more the King could have done. He offered Harry to stay at Buckingham Palace but that it seems even that wasn’t good enough. It was far from clear what the duke’s plans were. When it came to it there was no space in the King’s diary in between treatment and other scheduled events.”
One of the reasons Buckingham Palace was offered was to allow greater opportunity for the King to meet his son during his stay. Harry stayed in a hotel in London, but appeared dismayed when it became clear that the King did not have time to meet him.
A source with knowledge of the offer said: “It makes Harry’s decision to stay in a hotel all the more strange when the Palace would naturally offer all the security you could wish for. It would also have made more sense from a point of view of seeing his father as it would be easier for the King to see his son if they were staying nearby.”
A month after Harry’s trip to London, the palace apartments were used to host the Emperor and Empress of Japan during their state visit.
I find it odd that Charles’s aides made this generous offer of a diplomatic suite in Buckingham Palace with full security and a potential unscheduled meeting between father and son… and yet they couldn’t use this offer as a clapback or explanation at the time. I mean, if this was really what they offered Harry, surely they would have said that back in May when Harry released his statement about the king’s “full program”? Makes it seem like it took those aides three g–damn months to come up with a new lie for why the situation was not their fault. It also makes it seem like Harry takes his security very seriously and he could see ALL of the traps being laid for him and was able to nope out of all of it.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Cover Images.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla walk down the steps to meet guests attending a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Wednesday May 8, 2024.,Image: 871229500, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Jordan Pettitt / Avalon
King Charles III speaks to guests attending a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London. Picture date: Wednesday May 8, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story ROYAL Garden.,Image: 871230102, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Jordan Pettitt / Avalon
Edinburgh, Scotland, 2 July 2024: King Charles III during the Sovereign’s Garden Party held at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The party is part of The King’s trip to Scotland for Holyrood Week.,Image: 886704653, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Jane Barlow / Avalon
Guests arrive to attend a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London
Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 08 May 2024
Credit: Cover Images
Guests arrive to attend a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London
Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 08 May 2024
Credit: Cover Images
Prince Harry Duke of Sussex attending a St Paul’s Cathedral service to mark the Invictus Games’ tenth anniversary in London, UK.
Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 08 May 2024
Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images
**NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
Guests attend a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London
Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 08 May 2024
Credit: Cover Images
Guests attend a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London
Featuring: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 08 May 2024
Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images
**NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London
Featuring: King Charles III
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 08 May 2024
Credit: Jordan Pettitt/PA Images/INSTARimages
**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
