25 September 2023 , 11:29
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Buckingham Palace has addressed whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would be offered a room at Kensington Palace on their next visit.
The Palace denied claims that accommodation was being considered for the Sussexes' at the royal residence. It comes after the pair were evicted from Frogmore Cottage and were left scrambling for ideas on where to stay when they next came to the UK.
Royal sources told The Times that rooms at the Palace could be opened up for Meghan and Harry, following King Charles' decision to keep his son as one of his Councillors of State. Under the law, those who are allocated the role must have a permanent home in the UK.
"The King can see that to remove Harry as a counsellor of state would be seen as an act of antagonism and he does not want to do that," a friend of Charles told the paper. "If, as a consequence of that, somewhere on the royal estate needs to be earmarked as a pied-à-terre for his son, that seems a reasonable thing to do."
However, Buckingham Palace disputed this and said the "claims are not true", reports MailOnline. The important royal role means Harry is one of seven members of the Royal Family who can deputise for the monarch if he is abroad or unwell. Despite having stepped back from royal duties in 2020, and having many privileges remaining, the King has kept his second son tied to this role. According to royal sources, courtiers had discussed leasing a property on the royal estate to Harry and Meghan.
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In an attempt to resolve the counsellor-of-state dilemma, a home may have been offered to them to ensure that the laws surrounding the royal rule were complied with. Royal aides have said that temporary accommodation will be available to Harry if he were to visit the UK at any point - but permission will be required. Despite this, he will be required to give the Palace a good amount of notice of any upcoming visit.
Earlier this month, Harry was reportedly forced to stay in a hotel after being denied the opportunity to stay in one of the royal residences. It was suggested that the reason was that he let the Palace know the details of his visit too late, with them requiring some notice.