‘Back to square one’: Palace drama puts Harry and Charles’ relationship back under the microscope

Analysis: It has been a tumultuous week in the life of Prince Harry. First there was the announcement he would be bringing his wife Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, on his long-awaited return to his homeland.

Then, as quickly as that announcement was made, news trickled out that Harry’s old friends at the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) had denied his request for taxpayer-funded security, which prompted a two-week long “will they, won’t they” back-and-forth, including a tug-of-war over a royal palace, to rival the on-court action at Wimbledon.

So with Harry touching down in the UK overnight, alone, and no room at the inn – in this case, Buckingham Palace – questions must be asked about what this means for the relationship between father and son.

For starters, it is being reported King Charles has no plans to alter his diary of royal engagements, which is set many months in advance.

While media outlets confirmed the Duke of Sussex jetted into the UK on Monday from a family holiday in Europe, ahead of appearances linked to his charities, including the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham, his father was carrying out an engagement at the Royal Tank Regiment in Dorset, England.

The optics were, let’s just say, breathtaking. While Harry has performed like a puppet master for weeks, pulling the strings as the royal family jolted to and from attention at his every whim, the King overnight took a ride in a tank.

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Prince Harry touches down in the UK amid family drama

If anything tells a wayward son his father is back in charge, it is an image of the Commander-in-Chief of the UK Armed Forces looking like he is riding into battle.

This business-as-usual approach is nothing new to the royal family, who are known to adopt the very “British Keep Calm and Carry On” approach, even when there is calamity around them.

And calamity is what they have had in recent days, thanks to conflicting, minute-by-minute updates of Harry’s visit to the UK. But first, a recap.

A timeline of events

The announcement came last month that Harry would bring his wife and two children for a short visit to the UK from July 7 to 11.

The main hope was, as his camp breathlessly informed the media, that Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet could spend quality time with the grandfather they had not seen since 2022.

But just days later, it was revealed the Duke of Sussex was reconsidering his family joining him on the trip over security concerns after RAVEC denied them taxpayer-funded police protection.

Just days later, Harry’s spokesperson confirmed Meghan and the children would no longer travel to London from where they were holidaying in Europe.

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Buckingham Palace denies Harry to stay at royal residence despite prince’s claim

Then came yesterday’s announcement from Harry’s camp that he had would come alone and had formally accepted an offer from King Charles to stay at Buckingham Palace.

However, within minutes, the Palace said the offer had been withdrawn because he failed to notify them in time, leaving the prince to arrive in London alone and needing to find alternative private accommodation for his stay.

‘From the sublime to the ridiculous’

Daily Mirror Royal Editor Russell Myers told Today the matter had gone from the “sublime to the ridiculous” over the past few hours.

“I think there are around 240 bedrooms in Buckingham Palace. Around 50 are kept for guests of the King at any one time, and they still can’t find a place for him,” he said on Tuesday’s show.

Myers said the “will he, won’t he?” of the past few weeks had taken its toll, adding: “It seemed a bit up in the air.”

Where this leaves the relationship between father and son is anyone’s guess, but we can assume it is right back to square one.

The Mirror quoted royal expert Duncan Larcombe, who said the row over security and accommodation risked creating a fresh strain between the two.

“Harry’s team seem pretty set on the fact he was lined up to go to Buckingham Palace, so it’s a cock-up and it’s not going to help his relationship with his father because these are delicate issues for a King,” he told The Mirror.

“All this increases the drama around the whole visit. Harry needs to be in the UK, I don’t think it would jeopardise the visit. There are plenty of places he can stay, but the royal residences do need notice.”

The Mirror reported Harry had accepted an offer to stay at Buckingham Palace with his family on June 23, but this decision was thrown into disarray the very next day after RAVEC’s decision.

It quoted palace sources who said they received correspondence two days ago that the Duke considered Buckingham Palace unsuitable.

He then changed his mind, announcing the offer had been accepted, before the Palace’s sensational announcement that it was too late.

While The Mirror asserted it was in fact too late for the necessary hospitality and staffing arrangements to be put in place, they also cited the ongoing review of RAVEC’s earlier decision not to provide Harry with security, as well as pending High Court judgment involving legal action against Associated Newspapers.

Harry is one of a number of high-profile people who sued the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday over alleged unlawful information gathering.

This trial, which began in January 2026, involves claims of privacy breaches, including phone tapping and hiring private investigators. A decision is to be handed down on July 7 in London.

‘Buckingham Palace is not a hotel’

Some royal commentators, such as Chris Ship, are firmly in Harry’s camp.

He believes the Palace was nervous about the optics of Harry staying in a royal residence at the same time the decision was being handed down.

After news broke that the offer to stay at Buckingham Palace was withdrawn, he took to X, writing, “I’m not sure why the son of the monarch can’t stay in a room at Buckingham Palace when an independent judge hands down a ruling in a libel [case] unconnected to the King,” he wrote. He also asked if it meant Prince William had to live elsewhere when he sued publishers and magazines over the years.

Meanwhile, Larcombe said he understood why Palace officials had little choice but retract the offer, although this doesn’t explain why the offer was made in the first place, knowing the date of the court decision.

“I have sympathy with Buckingham Palace and can understand why they’ve U-turned,” he said.

“They’ve run out of time to get it ready and it’s not been helped by Harry and the drama around the visit. The official line is they ran out of time, and I can believe that.

“Buckingham Palace is not a hotel. You can’t check in and check out. There would need to be a plan in place.”

But Myers suspects the Palace was trying to avoid the optics of Prince Harry giving a statement on the outcome of his action against the press, win or lose, while staying at a royal residence “while a guest of the King at the time”.

Cue that ride in the tank today.

Myers said he was in Dorset to witness the King’s royal appearance, and he seemed to be in “fine form”.

“This thing isn’t bothering him on the outside,” he told Today.

So will the meeting between father and son take place? Myers is unsure. However, he said there was no question he had wanted to see his grandchildren, who may not even make it to the UK.

“I am told [the King] has a packed schedule this week, he’s got engagements and private meetings every single day,” Myers said.

“So whether [Harry] gets to see his father is another thing entirely. The circus has very much come to town.”

Time will tell if Harry ends up the court jester in this drama.