King Charles's “patience snapped” over Prince Harry’s chaotic return to the UK, as royal sources claimed the monarch “is not willing to be pushed around” as the duke begins his visit to the UK. The Duke of Sussex arrived in the UK on Monday after the accommodation plans for his trip descended into chaos.
Accommodation U-Turn and Withdrawn Offer
Harry is said to have refused to stay at a royal residence but later made a U-turn and requested to stay for just one night at Buckingham Palace, only to be told he had accepted the King’s offer too late. He was also told his presence could compromise his father’s constitutional position, with judgment due in the duke’s High Court case against Associated Newspapers today.
Now royal aides have shared a glimpse of what has gone on behind closed doors. A royal source told The Sun: “The King’s patience snapped. He wants to be a loving father and grandfather but that was being tested beyond endurance. He is not willing to be pushed around, nor to indulge a constant state of chaos.”
Frustration from Harry's Camp
It remains unclear whether Harry’s wife, the Duchess of Sussex, will join him this week or whether his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will meet with their grandfather. Harry and his team are understood to be frustrated that the reasons given for withdrawing the offer shifted from not accepting the accommodation to the forthcoming Associated Newspapers legal judgment.
A spokesman for the duke 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.”
The spokesman added: “It is therefore disappointing that the offer has now been withdrawn, with Tuesday’s judgment in the Associated Newspapers Limited case cited as the reason.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 It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment.”
High Court Decision Imminent
Harry and a group of other household names, including Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, are expected to find out on Tuesday whether they have won their High Court cases against the Daily Mail’s publisher over allegations of voicemail interception, landline tapping and obtaining information by deception, which Associated Newspapers denies.
