Prince Harry’s at war with Buckingham Palace again – and the timing couldn’t be worse

Prince Harry’s version of events have been disputed by both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace.

Prince Harry has not had a very good week. What with accusations he and his wife, Meghan Markle, misled the public over deleted Kardashian party photographs, and with the Palaces disputing claims about his recent Toronto trip.

The Duke of Sussex spent two days in Canada at the start of the month to mark Remembrancetide, with the trip announced just as his brother, the Prince of Wales, arrived in Brazil for a five-day trip showcasing his Earthshot Prize. The timing of Harry’s trip was seen as a deliberate attempt to overshadow his estranged brother, but his team insisted that the Palace had been notified of the trip in advance.

But now, both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace refute this, saying they had received no advance notice of the duke’s trip.

A source told The Times that it was “a bit rum” to claim the Palace had been forewarned about the trip, when aides at both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace had no knowledge of the trip before it was announced.

Interstingly, Harry’s office has refused to reveal when the courtesy warning was given – and to whom.

The different stances taken, has reignited the late Queen Elizabeth’s famous phrase “recollections may vary”, when responding to Harry and Meghan’s infamous TV interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021.

What is striking about the latest dispute between team Sussex and the Palaces, is the timing of it.

As the Royal Family continue to grapple with the fallout from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s Epstein scandals, Harry provides another headache for the Firm.

Prince Harry’s visit to Toronto clashed with Prince William’s trip to Brazil (Image: Getty)

Instead of showing how much of an asset he once was, he’s pissing off the powers at be by hijacking William’s most important week of the year and then appearing to lie about it.

It may well be that the Toronto trip was long in the planning, but why not keep the Palace in the loop about it?

Just months earlier Harry’s aides sat down with the King’s in a bid to prevent diary clashes and open up a direct channel of communications. It was a chance for the Sussexes to prove that they’re friend, not foe, and were willing to work with the Palace, not against them.

But here we are again, with briefings and counterbriefings and the underlying frustrations from both camps.

Harry has long said he wants to reconcile with his father and wider Royal Family, and if he’s really set on that – he must ensure his office are working with, and not against, the Palace machine.