Prince Harry's spokesperson has claimed the offer to stay at Buckingham Palace during his London visit has been "withdrawn at the last moment".
The Duke of Sussex, who lives in California, announced on Monday morning that he had formally accepted an invitation to stay at the famous royal residence during his visit to the U.K. this week.
However, in a shocking turn of events, Buckingham Palace officials soon contradicted his statement, insisting that he would not be staying there.
Royal sources told BBC News that Harry did not formally respond to the accommodation offer by the deadline at the end of last week and was told over the weekend that he could no longer stay there as he had left it too late for staff to make arrangements for an overnight guest.
Responding to the "disappointing" development, Harry's spokesperson claimed that the 41-year-old "spent last week making alternative security arrangements" - now that he no longer receives taxpayer-funded police security - and formally accepted the invitation to Buckingham Palace over the weekend once those arrangements were in place.
"It is therefore unclear why, having formally accepted the accommodation offer, it has now been withdrawn at the last moment," they added, reports Mail Online.
Harry is due to arrive in London on Monday before heading to Birmingham to promote the Invictus Games, which will be held there next year. It is believed that he will not be accompanied by his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex or their children Archie and Lilibet due to the ongoing dispute over security.
He was locked in a lengthy legal battle with the British government over the level of taxpayer-funded security he would receive after he stepped back as a working royal and moved to the U.S. in 2020. He lost his appeal on the matter last year.
The royal has previously said he does not feel safe bringing his family to his home country without official police protection.
