NOT JUST ABOUT ACCOMMODATION: Prince Harry reveals the real issue behind King Charles’s offer.
Prince Harry says the biggest question surrounding his family’s upcoming trip to Britain isn’t where they’ll stay — it’s whether they will have what he believes is adequate security throughout the visit.
A palace source maintains that King Charles’ offer of accommodation on a royal estate remains open but has not yet been accepted by the Duke of Sussex. Harry’s spokesperson, however, emphasized Monday, June 29 that “the issue has never been accommodation,” saying the family’s focus remains on securing what they describe as “appropriate and proportionate protective security” throughout the visit.
“Prince Harry’s programme in the United Kingdom includes both public and private engagements across the country. Safe accommodation is only one element of an effective protective security plan because risk follows the person, not the place,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that Harry “continues to explore every available option” to enable the visit to proceed safely and “to give his children the opportunity to enjoy the U.K.”
Harry and Meghan Markle are currently vacationing in Europe with Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, PEOPLE understands, ahead of the family’s expected trip. The visit would mark Archie and Lilibet’s first return to Britain since 2022, when they traveled for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and Lilibet celebrated her first birthday at Frogmore Cottage.
The dispute centers on the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC), the government body that determines protective security arrangements. According to sources familiar with the matter, the Sussexes were initially told an independent Risk Management Board review would take place in March, only to learn last week that it had not been conducted.
The Sussexes maintain that the review remains a critical missing step because it would include an independent assessment of Harry’s threat level before recommending an appropriate security package.
Official police protection remains a key concern for the Duke of Sussex, who told the BBC last year that he “can’t see a world” in which he would bring Meghan, Archie and Lili to the U.K. without it.
On Sunday, June 28, The Guardian reported that Prince Harry feared his children wouldn’t be able to see his father after his request for police protection beyond royal residences was declined.
A source close to the Duke of Sussex said he was “distraught” and was reviewing other options, but worried it would be impossible without the official protection in place.
“Their plans to see family, friends and visit various charitable causes close to the duke’s heart have been pulled out from under their feet at the 11th hour. He’s looking at every option to try and get the family here safely and keep them safe when they’re on the ground. If he can find a way to do that, he will,” the source told the outlet.
“The hope is they can meet their grandfather, but there is no way that can happen if they are chased by paparazzi wherever they go from the moment they step off the plane. He won’t put his children through that.”
The Duke of Sussex has long maintained that King Charles could intervene to help restore the security he’s long sought for himself and his family, which the palace denies.
The U.K. trip is for a series of events connected to the one-year countdown to Prince Harry’s 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham.