Prince Harry ‘offered royal residence to stay in’ by King Charles but ‘turned it down’

Prince Harry was offered the royal residence to stay in by King Charles during his recent trip to the UK. But the Duke of Sussex reportedly turned down the offer, insiders said.

He arrived in London last Tuesday for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, WalesOnline reports, and attended a service at St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday. The Duke reportedly chose to stay in a hotel during the short visit.

It came after he and his wife Meghan Markle returned the keys to Frogmore Cottage last summer after being asked to leave their English home. But sources said that as a result of not having an official residence in the UK, King Charles offered his youngest son a place to stay in a royal residence for the trip.

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But Harry opted to stay in a hotel, The Sunday Times reported. During his whirlwind trip back to the UK, there was speculation that the two would meet.

But it was revealed immediately after his arrival last Tuesday that his father, King Charles, was too preoccupied to meet. According to a spokesman for the Duke: “Unfortunately, it will not be possible due to Her Majesty’s full schedule. Of course, the Duke understands his father’s engagement diary and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon.”

Friends close to Harry have suggested that he has gone to great lengths to arrange a meeting with his father. This came after the Sunday Times suggested that insiders close to the Monarch felt it was more practical for a father-son date if Harry chose to stay at a royal residence rather than a hotel.

But contrary to these suggestions, some say Harry did not ask for a meeting with his father or invite him to the Invictus Games event. “It’s all very sad,” a friend of the king told the Sunday Times.

They added: “While it is true that the King is understandably wary of meeting Harry, given the publicity circus that seems to surround all such visits, he has of course agreed to see his son in the most vulnerable moment of his illness (in February), and at very short notice.”

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