Prince
Harry says king ‘won’t speak to him’ and he would ‘love’ to be reconciled
After losing
personal security challenge, Duke of Sussex says he wants to make peace as he
does not know how long Charles has to live
Caroline
Davies
Fri 2 May
2025 18.04 BST
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/may/02/prince-harry-wants-reconciliation-royal-family
The Duke of
Sussex has said it is “impossible” for him to bring his wife and children back
to the UK after losing his legal challenge over personal security, and revealed
he would “love” a reconciliation with his family.
In an
emotional interview with the BBC, Prince Harry said his father, King Charles,
will not speak to him “because of the security stuff”, but said he wanted
reconciliation as life was “precious” and he did not know how long his father,
who has been diagnosed with cancer, had left to live.
Speaking in
California, where he now lives, Harry, 40, said: “For the time being, it’s
impossible for me to take my family back to the UK safely.”
He added: “I
can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the
UK at this point, and the things that they’re going to miss, is, well,
everything. I love my country. I always have done, despite what some people in
that country have done.
“I miss the
UK. I miss parts of the UK, of course I do. And it’s really quite sad I won’t
be able to show my children my homeland.”
Harry had
sought to overturn changes to his security provision while in the UK, which
were made after he and the Duchess of Sussex stepped away from royal duties in
2020.
He was
offered “bespoke” security, which he felt was “inferior” and claimed the
Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (known as
Ravec), which authorises security measures, had breached its own terms of
reference by not conducting a risk management board (RMB) before making the
decision.
He insisted
his father could help solve the issue, though he had not asked him to
intervene. “I can only come to the UK safely if I am invited, and there is a
lot of control and ability in my father’s hands.
“Ultimately,
this whole thing could be resolved through him, not by intervening, but by
stepping aside and allowing the experts to do what is necessary and to carry
out an RMB,” he said.
It is
understood it would have been constitutionally improper for the king to
intervene while the matter was being considered by the government and reviewed
by the courts.
Although the
royal household provides representation and input into the Ravec decision,
Friday’s judgment laid out that the chair of the Ravec committee was the
decision maker on the provision of security. Royal private offices and private
secretaries should be consulted as to the practicalities of the protection
measures agreed, the ruling said.
Harry also
appealed to the prime minister, Keir Starmer, saying: “This all was initiated
under a previous government. There is now a new government. I have had it
described to me by people who know about the facts that this is a good
old-fashioned establishment stitch-up. And that’s what it feels like.”
Asked
whether the prime minister should “step in”, he replied: “Yes, I would ask the
prime minister to step in.
“I would ask
Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, to look at this very, very carefully and I
would ask her to review Ravec and its members, because if it is an expert body,
then what is the royal household’s role there, if it is not to influence and
decide what they want for the members of their household?”
On his
family rift, he said: “There have been so many disagreements, differences
between me and some of my family. This current situation, that has been ongoing
now for five years with regard to human life and safety as the sticking point.
It is the only thing that’s left.
“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 … I would love
reconciliation with my family.
“There’s no
point in continuing to fight any more. Life is precious. I don’t know how much
longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff. But
it would be nice to reconcile.”
He added:
“If they want that, it’s entirely up to them.”
Harry said
he could never leave the royal family, though he had left the “institution”
because “I had to”.
He
continued: “Whether I have an official role or not is irrelevant to the
threats, risk and impact on the reputation of the UK if something was to
happen.
“What really
worries me more than anything else about today’s decision, depending on what
happens next, [is that] 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.”
He claimed
that, through the court disclosure process, he had “discovered that some people
want history to repeat itself, which is pretty dark”. Asked who he meant, Harry
declined to answer.
He said he
was “devastated” by the court’s decision, adding: “Not so much devastated with
the loss [as] about the people behind the decision feeling as though this is
OK. Is it a win for them? I’m sure there are some people out there, probably
most likely the people that wish me harm, [who] consider this a huge win.”
He indicated
that he would not be seeking a further legal challenge, saying Friday’s ruling
had “proven that there was no way to win this through the courts”.
A
spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said: “All of these issues have been
examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion
reached on each occasion.”