Prince Harry refuses offer of Buckingham Palace stay during London trip, gets ‘limited police protection’, says report

The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, 40, has reportedly refused an offer to stay at the Buckingham Palace during his trip to London for a court case hearing, and will instead get ‘limited police protection’ from the Metropolitan Police, according to a report by The Mirror UK.

The report added that this decision comes after the Prince lost his legal battle for taxpayer funded security. His visit to London is due next week to attend the trial against News Group Newspapers (NGN).

The paper cited insiders claim that Harry turned down an offer to stay at the Buckingham Palace. It is yet unclear where he will stay once in the country.

Armed ‘Limited Police Protection’ For Prince Harry

Met Police will be protecting the royal during his trip and Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said armed officers from the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command will be provided, the paper reported citing a source.

The insider added that Met Police is low on people and is trying to recruit officers on their days off. “He is offering Harry limited police protection. The Met has been trying to recruit officers on their days off because they don’t have a lot of spare staff,” the source said.

Harry and Meghan Markle's Battle for Protection

In March last year, Prince Harry lost a legal battle seeking the same level of protection as the Royal Family after his security status was downgraded when he and wife Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle stopped being “working royals” and pulled back from official duties to move to the United States, the report noted.

With the default security now lowered, Prince Harry's security detail is now an operations decision for the city police, according to the report. It is made on case-by-case basis similar to other VIP visitors to the UK.

Why is Prince Harry in the UK? Where is Meghan Markle?

In the upcoming legal battle, the Duke and former Labour deputy leader Lord Tom Watson are suing ‘The Sun’ publisher NGN for alleged unlawful information-gathering and invasion of privacy.

The report added that the Duchess will stay in America with the couple's two children — Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Notably, Markle has not set foot in the UK since Queen Elizabeth's death in September 2022, when she attended the funeral.