It’s been a bleak week for the prince and today only added to that sense of chaos.
This was a trip where he was meant to be accompanied by his wife Meghan and their children. That seems to have been scuppered by a row over security, for the start of the visit at least.
The duke seemed to have hoped to stay at Buckingham Palace. But the row over his accommodation was a disaster for all concerned and he has very publicly not been able to stay there.
That left his team asking if there really was no way of accommodating one person for one night.
This court defeat is one battle in what has been a long campaign by Prince Harry against what he sees as the unfair excesses of the press.
It has clearly been a deeply personal cause. He’s challenged what he sees as damaging press intrusions that have harmed his private life and his relationships.
It’s a really raw wound. One that goes back to the treatment of his mother, Princess Diana.
But that campaign against the tabloids, with some wins, most notably against the Mirror group, seems to be ending.
It’s still not clear if the group of seven claimants – all of whom lost – will appeal against the ANL result. But there seem to be no plans for any fresh cases.
This week will raise big questions about what happens next for Prince Harry.
It might have been something of a cautionary tale.
He’s back in the UK to promote his Invictus Games, which are due to be held in Birmingham next year.
But the questions are still about his relationship with other royals and whether or not he will meet his father, King Charles III.
They probably will meet. And his wife Meghan could still turn up in the UK this week, surrounded by the media circus that will inevitably accompany that moment.
With another piece of timing, her food brand, As Ever, sent out an advertising email on Tuesday afternoon headed: “Back to raspberry.”
Was that sending a message?
It seems unlikely the duke will see his brother, Prince William, who was at an engagement of his own about 10 miles away, but may as well have been on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Relations with the Palace must be at rock bottom after the unedifying war of words over whether he was going to stay at Buckingham Palace. Trust must be in short supply.
But none of this is what Prince Harry wants to talk about this week.
At this Invictus gathering, in a room dotted with military uniforms, there were inspiring stories of resilience against adversity.
There were international representatives there, including from Ukraine.
Prince Harry’s speech for Invictus might have been about something closer to home.
He called for: “A spark that can ignite recovery, rebuild confidence and reconnect people with a community that understands them.”
But while Prince Harry was sticking to the script, events had other ideas.