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Britain's Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Meghan and their son Archie at the Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town on September 25, 2019. [AFP]
Prince Harry's accommodation plans in London were thrown into confusion Monday after Buckingham Palace contradicted his spokesperson and denied he would stay there, in the latest snag to his UK visit.
The estranged prince was to arrive in the UK to start a five-day visit, without his family, according to a source close to Harry, after their police protection reportedly fell through.
The royal drama continued as the Duke of Sussex's spokesperson said he had accepted an invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace, UK media reported.
However, shortly after, the palace said Harry would not stay at the royal residence after he missed a deadline to take up the offer.
Buckingham Palace reportedly needs a minimum notice to host guests like the prince, which was not met.
Harry's spokesman said it was "disappointing" the offer to be hosted by the king had been "withdrawn at the last moment", in a statement sent to AFP.
It is the latest headache for the prince, whose visit is to mark the one year countdown to the Invictus Games in the central city of Birmingham. Harry launched the games for wounded veterans in 2014.
It was also meant to be the prince's first family trip back to Britain with his wife Meghan, son Archie and daughter Lilibet in four years.
But a source close to the Duke of Sussex told AFP at the weekend that the family would not accompany him on the London leg after he was reportedly refused royal protection.
The trip will coincide with the delivery of a judgement, expected 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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