Prince Harry is set to visit the UK next week for the Invictus Games 10th anniversary (Image: Getty)
Prince Harry will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games in London on May 8 as he is set to fly to the UK next week – but it has not been confirmed whether he will stay at a royal residence.
Harry is going to attend the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, where he will be giving a reading during the service. The Prince first created the sporting event for military personnel in 2014, with the first event taking place in the UK’s capital. Invictus Games said next month will mark a “decade of changing lives and saving lives through sport.”
It emerged last year that Harry requested a room at Windsor Castle when he was in London for the WellChild Awards in September 2023, but he was denied a room at such short notice in what was interpreted as a brutal snub.
At the time he was offered the chance to stay in Balmoral with his father on the anniversary of the late Queen’s death, but Harry’s itinerary made it impossible, and instead, he stayed in a hotel.
Here are the five places Harry could potentially stay during his visit to celebrate the Invictus Games milestone:
READ MORE: Meghan to fly 7800 miles across the world solo ‘instead of joining Harry’
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Harry and Meghan have previously stayed at The Goring Hotel (Image: Getty)
A luxury hotel in London
Despite the royals having a wealth of lavish properties in London, Harry stayed at a luxury hotel in the capital when he was in London for the WellChild Awards in September 2023.
He also stayed for one night in a hotel after his flying visit in February to see his father, following his cancer diagnosis. Earlier this month, Harry made a whirlwind trip from Los Angeles Airport to Clarence House for a 45-minute meeting with King Charles, only to depart London less than 25 hours later.
It is thought Harry could stay at the Goring Hotel which is where Harry and Meghan stayed in 2020 when the couple were reported to have hosted a farewell lunch for their staff around the departure from the royal family as senior working royals.
Harry and Meghan were “evicted” from Frogmore Cottage (Image: Getty)
Frogmore Cottage
Although Harry and Meghan received Frogmore Cottage as a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II, they received an eviction notice from King Charles following the publication of Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, and therefore had to remove all their belongings. They officially vacated the property last summer.
The last time Prince Harry and Meghan stayed at Frogmore Cottage together was during the summer of 2022, they were in residence there for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The couple celebrated their daughter Lilibet’s first birthday at the same time.
Frogmore Cottage, located on the Royal Windsor estate, was featured in Harry and Meghan’s documentary on Netflix, which followed their lives as they departed the UK. The pair were filmed packing up Frogmore Cottage before their move to North America.
Harry has previously been denied a stay at Windsor Castle (Image: Getty)
Windsor Castle
When Prince Harry was in the UK in September 2023 for the WellChild Awards, he requested permission to stay at Windsor Castle, but the request was denied by King Charles.
It is thought it could now be an option for the Prince to stay at the royal residence while he is in the UK’s capital for the Invictus Games celebration.
A royal commentator believed the initial refusal was because the King was “upset” over Harry’s Netflix revelations which commented on his family relationships.
Duncan Larcombe said: “It’s very standoffish but I think that’s a way that the King is subtly punishing his son.”
It is reported Prince Harry and Meghan Markle first asked to live at Windsor Castle but it was deemed “inappropriate” and the late Queen “politely but firmly suggested” they live elsewhere, according to reports. After a series of renovations, the Sussexes moved into Frogmore in April 2019, welcoming their son Prince Archie just a few weeks later.
Ivy Cottage
Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank are currently living in Ivy Cottage within the grounds of Kensington Palace where they are raising their two sons, August and Ernest.
The cottage is close to Nottingham Cottage, where Harry and Meghan lived at the very beginning of their marriage.
Prince Harry has the option of staying with his cousin Princess Eugenie, as it is reported they are still close, despite Harry and Meghan’s departure from the UK. While Eugenie and Harry are still good friends despite his rift with the Firm, she is unlikely to want to risk her relationship with the other royals either.
Speaking of their relationship, a source revealed Princess Eugenie is unlikely to risk her relationship with the Royal Family: “She’s a bit confused over the best way to handle the situation, but it’s got to a point now where she needs to make a choice between the future of her family or maintaining a close bond with someone who is hellbent on tearing it down.”
Prince Harry could be offered a stay at an apartment in Buckingham Palace (Image: Getty)
Buckingham Palace
Prince Harry could be offered a stay at an apartment in Buckingham Palace while he is in the UK visiting his family.
Palace sources told the Mail on Sunday after the Frogmore eviction, that Harry and Meghan could be given Prince Andrew’s suite whenever they need it.
The “olive branch” came after the King asked the couple to pack their bags and move out of Frogmore Cottage, after they chose to step back as working royals within the Royal Family.
As King Charles returns to public duty, he will be spending more time conducting official work at Buckingham Palace, and it could give Prince Harry a chance to see his father.
In the first major health update since his cancer diagnosis in February, Buckingham Palace said the 75-year-old “will shortly return to public-facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following recent cancer diagnosis”.
