King Charles 'did offer Prince Harry a Royal residence to stay in' but he 'turned it down'

Contrary to previous suggestions, King Charles did offer Prince Harry accommodation in a Royal residence during his recent UK visit, but the Duke of Sussex declined the offer, according to insiders, the Mirror reported. Prince Harry arrived in London last Tuesday, flying in from California for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. He attended a service at St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday.

Reports suggest that the Duke chose to stay in a hotel during his brief UK visit. This follows the return of the keys to Frogmore Cottage by him and his wife Meghan Markle last summer after they were asked to leave their English home.

Sources have revealed that King Charles had offered his son a place to stay in a Royal residence for the trip, understanding that Harry no longer had an official residence in the UK. However, Harry opted to stay in a hotel instead, The Sunday Times reported.

Amidst a whirl of speculation that a meeting could take place while Prince Harry was in London, it was disclosed just after his arrival last Tuesday that his father, King Charles, was too preoccupied to meet. According to a spokesperson for the Duke: "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."

Friends close to Harry are now asserting that he made considerable efforts to coordinate a meeting with his father. This follows reports from the Sunday Times suggesting insiders near the Monarch deemed it more practical for a father-son meet if Harry had chosen to stay at a Royal residence rather than a hotel.

However, counter to these suggestions, some assert that Harry never actually requested a meeting with his father or invited him to the Invictus Games event.

"It's all very sad," a friend of the King relayed to the Sunday Times. They added: "While it is true that the King is understandably wary about meeting with Harry, given the publicity circus that seems to surround all such visits, he did of course agree to see his son at the most vulnerable moment of his illness [in February], and at very short notice."

"While he was hardly going to roll out the red carpet the moment this Invictus trip was announced, with doctors advising him to focus on his treatment and recovery, the idea that he refused to find space in his diary ... well, let's say recollections may vary once again."