Why Prince Harry Reportedly ‘Rejected’ King Charles III’s Royal Housing Offer During His UK Visit

When Prince Harry visited the U.K. for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, he was reportedly offered a place to stay at one of the royal residences. It was curious to some royal watchers that the Duke of Sussex decided to stay at a hotel, but there seems to be a strong reason why he rejected King Charles III’s offer.

The Telegraph is shedding new light on the situation after confirming that Harry did make more than one “personal request” for a meeting with his father but was denied. “The Duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon,” the Duke of Sussex’s spokesperson said during his visit. There might have been an easier way for the father and son to meet if Harry had accepted the accommodations offered to him, but he declined because of security issues.

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According to the U.K. outlet, “the offer did not come with any security provision, meaning he would have been staying in a visible location with public entrance and exit points and no police protection.” It sounds like Charles was extending his son an olive branch, but the logistics didn’t make sense because Harry wanted “to come and go unseen.” The Duke of Sussex would have been safe on royal grounds, but it would have been a madhouse the moment he stepped onto the sidewalk. By staying at an undisclosed hotel, Prince Harry was provided the safety and privacy that he needed.

Harry lost his police protection after he and Meghan Markle exited their senior royal roles and the safety issue has continued to be an issue. It’s one of the reasons why the Duchess of Sussex and their two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 2, have not made frequent trips to the U.K. Harry must make a 28-day security request ahead of his travels to the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), but they have largely denied most of his requests, other than major royal events like the coronation.

In 2022, the former Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations for the Metropolitan Police, Neil Basu, revealed to the U.K.’s Channel 4 News that the threats aimed at Harry and Meghan were “disgusting and very real.” He noted, “If you’d seen the stuff that was written and you were receiving it… the kind of rhetoric that’s online if you don’t know what I know, you would feel under threat all of the time.” If the royal family isn’t going to take the Sussexes’ safety seriously, then it falls upon Prince Harry to make the right choice each time he visits his home country.

Before you go, click to see all the biggest royal scandals in the past 50 years.

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