King ‘offered royal residence’ to Prince Harry for U.K. visit
King Charles reportedly offered Prince Harry the use of a royal residence on his trip to the U.K. last week.
The Duke of Sussex spent some time in London to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, but didn’t get to see his 75-year-old father. However, friends of the monarch have revealed he agreed to a request from his son — who lives in California with wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and their children Archie, 5, and Lilibet 2, — to stay at one of the royal properties as he no longer has an official home in Britain, the Sunday Times reports.
Harry is thought to have opted for three nights in a hotel.
Friends of the King insisted Harry hadn’t asked to see his dad or invited him to the Invictus thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, but those close to Harry insisted the request to see Charles was made well in advance of the trip, which had been “long on the radar,” and pointed out he is required to give 28 days notice to the King and the Home Office to request security when he is in the U.K.
A source told the outlet: “It’s all very sad. While it is true that the King is understandably wary about meeting with Harry, given the publicity circus that seems to surround all such visits, he did of course agree to see his son at the most vulnerable moment of his illness (in February), and at very short notice.
“While he was hardly going to roll out the red carpet the moment this Invictus trip was announced, with doctors advising him to focus on his treatment and recovery, the idea that he refused to find space in his diary … well, let’s say recollections may vary once again.”
A friend of Harry’s said: “I can’t imagine that request (from Harry to Charles) fell through the gaps. Even if they didn’t get a request, which I don’t believe, could His Majesty not have made a request to see his son? It was widely known he was coming.”