A former royal butler who worked for King Charles has revealed why he believes Buckingham Palace withdrew Prince Harry's offer to stay there during his current UK visit. Grant Harrold, who served the King between 2004 and 2011, told the Daily Express that the decision was likely due to Harry being "difficult" rather than logistical issues.
Palace Withdraws Accommodation Offer
Prince Harry arrived in the UK on Monday, July 7, 2026, and his trip has dominated headlines. On the same day, it was revealed that the Duke of Sussex would no longer stay at Buckingham Palace. Reports indicated that Harry took too long to respond to the invitation, leading the Palace to withdraw the offer due to insufficient notice to make arrangements.
However, Harrold disputed this explanation. Speaking exclusively to OLBG and the Daily Express, he said: "To be honest, I find it hard to believe that this is a logistical issue. While I know staff and the family themselves like to be very organised due to their very busy schedules, with something as important as this, I really hope they could have made it work."
King Charles 'Put His Foot Down'
Harrold suggested that the King made a deliberate decision to revoke the invitation. He added: "I think the decision to revoke the invitation is incredibly upsetting, not just in terms of this trip but also for the wider picture. It's not a good sign for their work to repair their relationship. I believe it was more a case of Harry being difficult, so the King has just made a call to revoke the invitation entirely."
Harrold emphasized that the royal family could have arranged last-minute accommodations if they had wanted to, stating: "I am assuming that there would have been a time frame in which Harry had to confirm if he would be staying at the palace. Regardless, though, I do not believe that the family couldn't arrange it at the last minute; they can organise and implement stays quite quickly."
Harry Attends Premiere Without Meghan
Harry arrived in London on Monday evening and attended the UK premiere of "Shoot The People" at Picturehouse Central. He was not accompanied by his wife, Meghan Markle, who may join him later along with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The family originally planned to come together, but plans changed after Harry learned he would not receive armed police protection.
The withdrawal of the accommodation offer has sparked speculation about the state of Harry's relationship with King Charles, with Harrold's comments adding further fuel to the ongoing narrative of tension within the royal family.
