A fresh controversy has erupted around Prince Harry, centring on conflicting accounts of whether Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace were informed about his recent trip to Canada.
The Announcement That Raised Eyebrows
Earlier this month, the Duke of Sussex's office announced a series of engagements in Toronto to mark the Remembrance period, focusing on veterans. The timing, however, immediately drew attention. The announcement was made just minutes after his brother, Prince William, began his highly anticipated trip to Brazil to host the Earthshot Prize Awards in Rio de Janeiro. Furthermore, Harry's Canadian tour was scheduled to coincide with William's high-profile appearance at the COP30 climate summit in Belem.
Initially, a spokesman for the Duke asserted that palace communications teams had been made aware of the upcoming tour in advance, suggesting a level of coordination.
Palace Sources Dispute the Claims
This claim of prior notification has now been publicly challenged. According to a report in The Times, questions are being asked about whether the advisory was ever sent, as sources claim nobody at the palaces received it. One source described the assertion that the Palace had been informed as "a bit rum" and stated unequivocally that neither Buckingham Palace nor Kensington Palace received any advance warning.
The Mirror has contacted Prince Harry's office for a comment on these new allegations.
Security Concerns and an 'Unavoidable' Clash
In defence of the timing, sources close to Harry had previously explained that the announcement's synchronisation with William's arrival in Rio was "unavoidable." They cited the Duke's changed status since leaving his role as a working royal, which resulted in him being stripped of his automatic security provision.
These sources argued that the window for Harry and Meghan to release details of their events is now much shorter than for the King or Prince William. The Sussexes' team maintains they were acting purely on advice from their private security advisors, forcing their hand on the announcement timing and breaking an unwritten royal rule about avoiding major announcements during another senior royal's tour.
Adding another layer to the saga, Prince Harry penned a passionate essay about his love for "things that make us British" and the importance of remembering veterans, which was released while William was in Brazil and on the day of his Earthshot Prize awards ceremony. It is understood that Harry's team timed the release of his words to avoid drawing focus from William's major speech at COP30 the next day and other royal Remembrance events that weekend.
This incident is not isolated. Earlier this year, a meeting between two of Harry's aides and the King's communications director was followed by claims from Harry's team that people were trying to 'sabotage' his reconciliation with King Charles, leaving palace sources "saddened and perplexed." This latest dispute over the Canada trip suggests ongoing tensions and communication breakdowns within the royal family.
