Prince Harry chose hotel over Buckingham Palace on last London visit

The Duke of Sussex was offered the chance to stay at Buckingham Palace when he last visited Britain but turned it down to stay in a hotel, The Times can reveal.
The invitation to use apartments at the palace was made when the duke came to London in May to mark the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games, his Paralympic-style sporting competition.
Although it was already known that the King, 75, had offered accommodation to his younger son, it had not been disclosed that the rooms were in Buckingham Palace, the most prestigious location. The King was staying nearby at Clarence House.
The Sussexes landed in Bogota, Colombia, on Thursday to begin another trip. They will move on to the Caribbean and Pacific regions of Cartagena and Cali.
Harry has taken the UK government to the High Court in an attempt to have his right to Scotland Yard security reinstated when he visits Britain. However, he is thought to see a distinction between the security risks facing him in Britain and travelling to Colombia with the benefit of the state’s police protection.
A well-placed source said of the duke’s visit in May: “I don’t know what more the King could have done. He offered Harry to stay at Buckingham Palace but that it seems even that wasn’t good enough. It was far from clear what the duke’s plans were. When it came to it there was no space in the King’s diary in between treatment and other scheduled events.”
One of the reasons Buckingham Palace was offered was to allow greater opportunity for the King to meet his son during his stay. Harry stayed in a hotel in London, but appeared dismayed when it became clear that the King did not have time to meet him.
• Harry and Meghan call for action on cyberbullying on Colombia tour
A spokesman for the duke said at the time: “In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not the duke will meet with his father while in the UK this week, it unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full programme. The duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities, and hopes to see him soon.”
A source with knowledge of the offer said: “It makes Harry’s decision to stay in a hotel all the more strange when the Palace would naturally offer all the security you could wish for. It would also have made more sense from a point of view of seeing his father as it would be easier for the King to see his son if they were staying nearby.”
A month after Harry’s trip to London, the palace apartments were used to host the Emperor and Empress of Japan during their state visit.
When Harry and Meghan were working members of the royal family, they lived at Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate. That property is still vacant but the King hopes that the Duke of York may relocate there from the Royal Lodge.
The latest development of an offer extended to Harry to stay at the most prominent royal residence sheds new light on the way in which the King has sought to accommodate his son.
Before the King’s cancer diagnosis was announced earlier this year, he phoned his sons to break the news. Harry flew to the UK immediately and had a meeting with his father at Clarence House which lasted less than an hour before Charles flew from London to Sandringham.
Harry’s latest visit to London in May came shortly after the King returned to full-time public-facing duties after taking time away from large-scale public events during the early stages of his cancer treatment.
Arriving alone without his wife and children, Harry attended a service at St Paul’s Cathedral with veterans associated with the Invictus Games.
Harry then flew on to Nigeria with Meghan, who is understood to have touched down in London on her way to Africa. There, the pair accepted an invitation by the Nigerian government to stay in the country.
Harry is travelling to Colombia a week after President Petro accused the leader of a rebel faction of plotting to have him assassinated.
The US State Department and British Foreign Office advise against all but essential travel to parts of the country. Last month, Britain’s representative to the UN said that “we remain concerned about persistent levels of violence and threats” in Colombia.
Earlier this week it emerged that Josh Kettler, Harry’s chief of staff, had left the role after three months in the post. This summer Harry and Meghan will not visit Balmoral, where other members of the royal family will gather for the annual break.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment, as did a spokesman for the duke.