LONDON – The division between Prince Harry and his family has once more become evident following his candid television interview after a legal defeat concerning his security arrangements.
In an extensive and occasionally heartfelt discussion, the 40-year-old prince expressed his desire for reconciliation while revisiting issues with the royal family, the U.K. government, and the press.
Here are key takeaways from Friday’s BBC interview:
A security feud has deepened the royal rift
Harry mentioned that his father, King Charles III, refuses to communicate with him due to “this security issue” – a legal dispute over his protection while in the United Kingdom.
“This, at the heart of it, is a family dispute,” he said.
Harry has been estranged from his family since he and his wife Meghan quit royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States, alleging hostility and racist attitudes by the press and royal establishment. Harry’s tell-all 2023 memoir “Spare,” stuffed with private details and embarrassing revelations, made things worse.
But Harry said what’s souring the relationship now is a decision to remove his police protection detail after he stopped being a working royal. On Friday the Court of Appeal in London rejected Harry’s bid to restore the protection, saying a government committee was justified in deciding that security arrangements should be decided on a case-by-case basis whenever Harry visits the U.K.
Harry blamed the palace, alleging that the decision to withdraw his security had been made at the direction of royal officials, who sit on the committee alongside representatives from the police and government. He said they were “knowingly putting me and my family in harm’s way,” hoping that the sense of threat “would force us to come back.”
He suggested his father was part of the problem, saying he’d asked the king “to step out of the way and let the experts do their job.”
Harry highlighted health concerns about the king
King Charles, 76, has been treated for an undisclosed cancer for more than a year. Buckingham Palace has given infrequent updates, and has not disclosed what form of cancer the king has.
Harry, who has met his father only once, briefly, since his diagnosis early last year, said “I don’t know how much longer my father has.”
He held out little hope of another meeting soon.
“The only time I come back to the U.K., is, sadly, for funerals or court cases,” he said.
After taking several months off last year, Charles has returned to a full slate of public duties. This week he told a reception for cancer charities that being diagnosed was “a daunting and at times frightening experience.” He added: “I can vouch for the fact that it can also be an experience that brings into sharp focus the very best of humanity.”
Harry fears for his life and safety
Harry has well-founded concerns for the safety of himself and his family.
He is fifth in line to the throne, behind his brother William and William’s three children. He spent 10 years in the British army, serving two tours of duty in Afghanistan in the war against the Taliban. Harry’s lawyer said in court papers that al-Qaida had published a document that said Harry’s assassination would please Muslims.
Harry said that before 2020 he was placed in the highest tier of risk for royals, alongside his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.
Since then, he has been stripped of government-funded police protection, and also denied permission to pay for it himself, leaving private security his only option – something he says leaves him at risk.
“Whether I have an official role or not is irrelevant to the threat risk,” Harry said.
He claimed that “some people want history to repeat itself,” an apparent reference to the death of his mother Princess Diana. She was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi.
He worries his children will lose part of their heritage
Harry, Meghan and their children Archie, 5, and 3-year-old Lilibet, currently live in California, and Harry said he “can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K.”
The prince said he loves Britain and “it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.”
Harry claimed that he and his family are endangered when visiting Britain because of hostility aimed at him and Meghan on social media and through relentless hounding by news media.
Harry wants reconciliation with his family – but it may not be imminent
Harry’s explosive memoir “Spare” scattered bitterness and blame at Charles, Queen Camilla – Harry’s stepmother – and his elder brother William.
In the interview, he said he could forgive his family, and even the British press that he reviles and has repeatedly sued, for their role in events of recent years.
“I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” Harry said.
Historian Anthony Seldon said Harry had chosen his words deliberately to signal he “wants to make a new start.”
“From this point on, from this speech, there will not be a significant turn back again. There will be no more spiteful books,” Seldon told Sky News. “He has signaled he wants to be back in a way that needs to be worked out.”
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