Prince Harry has reportedly been asked to give Buckingham Palace advance notice if he wishes to stay at a royal residence.
Harry, 39, was denied permission to stay at Windsor Castle when he travelled to London for a charity event earlier this month, according to news reports.
The duke was scheduled to attend the annual WellChild Awards in Chelsea, west London, on 7 September, which fell on the eve of the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death this year.
When it became clear Harry and Charles, who was in Balmoral at the time, would not be able to meet on this visit, the duke asked if he could stay at Windsor Castle, The Telegraph reported.
He also sought permission to visit his late grandmother’s grave at St George’s chapel in Windsor, which he did on 8 September.
However, the palace was reportedly unable to grant Harry’s last-minute accommodation request.
The Independent has contacted representatives for the Duke of Sussex and Buckingham Palace for comment.
Harry reportedly contacted Buckingham Palace after details of his visit – the first since he and Meghan were evicted from Frogmore Cottage – were finalised.
He is said to have expressed his desire to meet his father, King Charles, and stay with him, before Harry flew to Dusseldorf, Germany for the Invictus Games. While Meghan did not join Harry in the UK, she reunited with the duke for the Paralympics-style tournament for wounded and sick veterans.
In response, the palace allegedly asked Harry to put in a formal request as it remained unclear whether King Charles had been made aware of this communication.
Harry and Charles haven’t had a proper meeting for months— (Getty Images)
Harry’s team shared the itinerary for his 24-hour visit, the newspaper reported, citing royal sources.
The palace responded, reportedly explaining the King would be at Balmoral Castle on those dates, with an offer for Harry to join his father at the Scottish estate.
This would have given father and son the opportunity to meet face to face, after Harry’s relationship with the royal family became strained in the months since he and Meghan relocated to the US.
Tensions first flared following the release of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries in which they made a number of bombshell claims about The Firm.
Shortly after, Prince Harry’s memoir Spare was published, which included even more shocking revelations about his life as a senior member of the British royal family.
The palace has not directly addressed these allegations.
After it became clear Harry and Charles would not be able to reunite at Balmoral due to scheduling conflicts, the duke reportedly asked for permission to stay at Windsor Castle, or any of the other royal residences.
However, the palace was unable to grant his request without sufficient notice, the newspaper reported.
Harry is next scheduled to visit the UK in January, when his case against News Group Newspapers, which publishes The Sun, goes to trial.
