Royal family
King Charles and Prince Harry were once close, but their relationship has struggled. And one surprising aspect could be preventing the two men from reconciling.
King Charles and his son, Prince Harry, have had a rocky relationship for years. Prior to leaving the royal family in 2020, tensions were high between Harry and Charles. Unfortunately, things have not improved much. Although Harry and Charles do speak, the two men aren’t close. And things have only become more complicated since Britain’s Home Office stripped Harry and his family of their royal security back in 2020.
King Charles is worried about getting in the middle of Prince Harry’s security drama
Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from their senior royal roles back in 2020 after they were disappointed with the way the press and the royals were treating them. Since then, Harry and Meghan have been living in California, but they were stripped of their taxpayer-funded security upon giving up their royal titles. Harry has been working to get it back, and Charles has been hesitant to step in because it creates a major conflict of interest for the king.
“Here you have the infelicitous situation where the King’s son is suing the King’s ministers in the King’s courts,” a royal advisor told author Robert Hardman. “That is pulling the King in three directions.”
Hardman also says that Charles has to be careful of what he says around Harry in case Harry decided to use it in court. “So imagine the situation if the prince were to talk to his father about his court case, and then later to describe that conversation — or, worse, a conversation which was not entirely accurate,” the source continued. “There would be serious legal jeopardy. Harry would only have to say, ‘My father said this,’ and a court case could collapse.”
Prince Harry won’t bring his family to the UK without the proper security
Harry has made clear that he is not willing to take any risks when it comes to the safety of his wife and children. Harry has returned to the UK on a handful of occasions since the queen’s death, but Meghan and the kids have not accompanied him on any recent visits.
While Harry is in the UK, he reportedly has to foot the bill for his own private security. Upon losing the court case, Harry vowed to take the British Home Office back to court. Eventually, it’s possible that Harry could win the case, but it’s unlikely that Charles will offer up his help any time soon.
