King won’t speak to me, says Duke of Sussex as he hopes for reconciliation
He spoke in a BBC television interview after losing the latest round in his court battle over his security.
The Duke of Sussex has claimed the King will not speak to him and he does not know “how much longer my father has” as he spoke of his hopes for a “reconciliation” with his family.
In a BBC television interview after losing the latest round in his court battle over his security, Harry, 40, said: “this, at the heart of it, is a family dispute”.
When asked if Charles had been approached to use his influence in Harry’s legal problems, the duke appeared to imply the King was a hindrance, a comment likely to deepen the rift with his father and his brother, the Prince of Wales.
He said: “I’ve never asked him to intervene, I’ve asked him to step out of the way and let the experts do their job.”
The health of the King, who is being treated for cancer, was highlighted by his son, who said: “And I said, life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has, he, he won’t speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.”
Harry, who appeared emotional and close to tears through much of the interview, offered an olive branch, saying he could “forgive my family’s involvement”, naming Charles, the Prince of Wales and his stepmother, the Queen, in events since he began dating his wife Meghan in 2016.
He also said information he learned during the legal process led him to discover “some people want history to repeat itself”, in an apparent reference to the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
The rift between the Sussexes and the royal family opened significantly following their interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which they alleged a member of the family was concerned about their son Archie’s skin tone before he was born.
Then the duke claimed in his controversial memoir, Spare, that William had physically attacked him, that the King put his own interests above Harry’s and was jealous of Meghan.
In a series of interviews to promote the book, Harry attacked the reputation of Camilla, saying her willingness to forge relationships with the British press made her “dangerous”, and he said she tried to rehabilitate her “image” at his cost.
“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,” said Harry.
He added: “But you know, I would love reconciliation with my family,” and said there was “no point in continuing to fight anymore”.
Harry’s level of security changed in 2020 when he and Meghan stepped down as working royals and moved to California for financial and personal freedom, and he suggested the royal family and officials hoped his realisation of the increased safety risk “would force us to come back”.
The duke lost a Court of Appeal challenge over his security arrangements while in the UK and said in the TV interview he “can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK”.
He failed in his appeal against the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office, over the decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of protection when in the UK.
“But 2020, when that decision happened, I couldn’t believe it. I actually couldn’t believe it,” said Harry.
He added: “I thought, with all the disagreements and all of the chaos that’s happening, the one thing that I could rely on is my family keeping me safe.
“And not only did they decide to remove my security in the UK, but they also signalled to every single government around the world not to protect us.”
He also told the BBC: “Everybody knew that they were putting us at risk in 2020 and they hoped that me knowing that risk would force us to come back.”
The duke said the protection given to members of the monarchy was a form of “control”, saying: “I think what really worries me more than anything else about today’s decision, depending on what happens next, it set a new precedent that security can be used to control members of the family.
“And effectively what it does is imprison other members of the family from being able to choose a different life.”
Ex-BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond writes in the Daily Express that Harry “says he can only come back to the UK with his family if he is invited, because then he would get the security he believes he needs”.
She continues: “But this bombshell of an interview is unlikely to bring that invitation any closer. And that’s because at the root of the rift is the question of trust.
“Harry’s father and brother do not trust Harry to keep conversations private. And this loudspeaker of a diatribe against them is not going to make them change their minds.”
