Prince Harry will likely reject an offer from the royal family when he returns to the UK next month as a form of “protest”, a royal author has claimed.
Harry is expected to travel to London alone in the coming weeks in order to appear before the High Court for his ongoing trial against News Group Newspapers (NGN).
It’s understood that wife Meghan Markle will remain at their Montecito home with their two children, as she has done on previous occasions.
Given Harry’s fractured relationship with the royals, it’s not known if he will reunite with any members of his family during his trip in London. Prince William is said to have completely cut ties with his younger brother, while King Charles was ‘too busy’ to see Harry during his visit in London in May 2024.
Meghan Markle plots ‘perfect revenge’ against Royal Family and critics
Now, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliam has predicted that Harry will turn down an offer to stay at Buckingham Palace next month, as some sort of protest.
He told GB News: “We do know that Buckingham Palace was offered for the last visit and rejected in favour of a hotel. Now, that’s never been explained. I don’t understand. It’s obviously part of a protest.”
He added: “So far as security is concerned, we know he’s appealing the Home Office’s decision not to automatically grant him security. Who would have thought he’d prefer a hotel to Buckingham Palace?”
It’s been five years since Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step down as working royals. Since then, they have become practically estranged from the royals after making a series of scathing allegations against the monarchy. And the rift is all the more painful for King Charles for one particular reason.
Meghan and Harry branded ‘disaster tourists’ after photos at LA Wildfires food bank
The monarch is said to be greatly saddened by the fact he has only seen Harry and Meghan’s children a handful of times. They are being raised in the States, thousands of miles away, and it’s believed the King has only met granddaughter Lilibet just once since she was born. Instead, he has watched them grow up in rare photographs and clips of the siblings on Harry and Meghan’s public social media.
Royal expert Jennie Bond told The Mirror: “It must remain a great sadness to the King to be so distant from his two US-based grandchildren – he hardly knows them and there’s no prospect of that changing any time soon. The early years in a child’s life are so magical – and once they’re gone, they’re gone. I hope the King doesn’t dwell on his loss too much, but it must hurt. Maybe, behind the scenes, Harry and Meghan have sent pictures to the King… we can but hope!”
The Duke has only made a handful of trips back to the UK in recent years, attending the funeral of Prince Philip and the late Queen, and briefly visiting Charles after his cancer diagnosis. Having lost his tax-payer-funded security when he quit the Royal Family, Harry has said he does not feel safe bringing his children and wife to the UK.