EXCLUSIVE: The expert has taken aim at the Duke of Sussex after the relentless back and forth.
Prince Harry’s back and forth with the Palace has left him with egg on his face (Image: Getty)
Prince Harry’s return to the UK this week has been overshadowed before it even began, thanks to a chaotic back-and-forth between Buckingham Palace and the Duke of Sussex. While it was reported on Monday morning that Prince Harry had accepted an offer to base himself at Buckingham Palace during the London leg of his trip to attend the One Year to Go events for his Invictus Games, this claim was quickly denied.
It soon became clear that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s response to the invitation had arrived too late, and as a result, the Palace said arrangements could not be made. Given the conflicting reports from both Palace sources and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s spokesperson, bestselling royal author Robert Jobson is clear that the whole saga has come at a “cost” to Prince Harry.
“The back-and-forth has cost him. A homecoming became a stand-off. And it played out in the papers, and the mess clings to Harry, never to his father,” Mr Jobson told the Daily Express.
The author added: “Each round burns off more goodwill. There is not much left to burn. Should Meghan return? Not into this. Later. Unannounced. Somewhere small, somewhere warm, nowhere near London.
“Outside London is the play. Birmingham. Althorp, where Diana lies. The King and his grandchildren, on private ground. No cameras. No schedule leaked to the desk the night before. Charles wants it. He cannot summon the protection. He can offer the ground. The advice is simple. Stop fighting in print. Keep the children out of it. One quiet photograph beats a hundred briefings.”
After the Palace denied that Prince Harry would be staying there, his spokesperson hit back with a fiery statement, claiming the offer of a Palace stay was “withdrawn”.
Prince Harry responded to the offer of a stay too late (Image: Getty)
They said: “I am aware of multiple briefings from Buckingham Palace last week suggesting that the Duke had not accepted the offer of accommodation at a Royal Residence. Following Ravec’s decision not to provide security for his family, the Duke spent last week making alternative security arrangements. Once those arrangements were in place, he was able to formally accept the offer of accommodation for himself over the weekend.
“It is therefore disappointing that the offer has now been withdrawn, with Tuesday’s judgment in the Associated Newspapers Limited case cited as the reason. Buckingham Palace has, however, been aware of that judgment since last Thursday. It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment.”
The confusing accommodation dispute follows reports over the weekend that Harry will travel to the UK alone, rather than be joined by his wife, Meghan Markle, and the couple’s two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
Further questions were raised after it was confirmed that the family would not join the Duke in London, as sources would not rule out the possibility that his wife and children could join him at another point during the week in the UK. The decision comes after the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) rejected an application for taxpayer-funded, armed police protection during the London leg of the Sussexes’ stay.
Back in May 2025, Harry lost a legal case to have his police protection reinstated whenever he returns to the UK. In a bombshell BBC interview after the ruling, Harry said that it was “too dangerous” to bring his family to the UK as he could not guarantee their safety.
In December last year, it was claimed that Harry’s security access when he visits the UK was under review. However, no change to the arrangements has been publicly announced.
