Prince Harry has revealed that his father, King Charles, no longer speaks to him and that he finds it unimaginable to bring his family back to the UK after losing a court battle over security.
In a revealing BBC interview following the court ruling, Harry, at times emotional, said he felt “devastated” by the verdict, calling it “impossible” for him to return to the UK with his wife, Meghan, and their two children.
He expressed a desire to mend his relationship with his family, saying the breakdown was triggered by disagreements over security. According to Harry, “The King won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.”
Harry’s official security was downgraded by the British government in 2020, shortly after he and Meghan stepped down from their royal roles.
“When that decision happened, I couldn’t believe it. I actually couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I thought, with all the disagreements and all the chaos that’s happening, the one thing I could rely on was my family keeping me safe.”
The interview took place in California, where Harry has been living with Meghan, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet since their move to the United States in 2020.
Such candid interviews are rare for the royal family, though Harry and Meghan previously spoke to Oprah Winfrey in 2021, when Meghan revealed she had experienced suicidal thoughts and shared that there were concerns within the royal family about their unborn son’s skin tone.
Harry’s recent court case was deeply personal. He has consistently emphasised the importance of proper security when visiting the UK with his family.
“All I’ve been asking for is safety,” he said in the interview, describing the legal outcome as “a good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up.”
Buckingham Palace told CNN that Harry’s concerns had been “examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts,” and the same conclusion was reached each time.
In a written statement released after the interview, Harry reiterated his disappointment, stating that he had offered to pay for police protection in 2020 and 2021, but the UK government rejected the proposal.
Harry often refers to the late Princess Diana when discussing his concerns about safety, fearing that history might repeat itself. Diana died in 1997 in a car crash in Paris while being pursued by paparazzi.
He stressed again that bringing his family to the UK is not an option. “I can’t see a world in which I’d be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point,” he said.
The prince also reflected on the longstanding rift with his family, noting that while there have been many disagreements, the issue of police protection remains the main obstacle.
“It is the only thing that’s left,” he said. “Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book.”
“Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things. But, you know… I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”
Harry’s memoir Spare, released in 2023, reopened old wounds within the family by sharing candid and critical details about his life as a royal.
He later made a brief appearance at King Charles’s coronation, seated alongside Prince Andrew in the third row. Neither carried out ceremonial duties, as both are no longer working royals.
Despite the estrangement, Harry said on Friday that he still hopes to reconcile with his father, who was diagnosed last year with a form of cancer that has not been publicly disclosed.
“I don’t know how much longer my father has,” he added. “He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.”
