Prince Harry’s potential reconciliation with his estranged father, King Charles, after their long-awaited meeting last month, could be at risk following a move by the Duke of Sussex
Prince Harry’s latest move concerning his UK security risks derailing any reconciliation with King Charles as it “complicates things”, according to a source.
An insider close to the Duke of Sussex said that he wrote to the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood shortly after her appointment to the role and submitted a formal request for a risk assessment to the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), overseen by the Home Office. It comes after Harry lost an appeal in May challenging the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office over the decision of Ravec that he should receive a different degree of taxpayer-funded protection when in the country.
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He is not automatically entitled to police protection since he quit his royal role and currently receives ‘bespoke’ protection on a case-by-case basis.
But now a source has told The Sunday Times that his letter to Ms Mahmood, will make the King ‘wary’ of speaking to his younger son, saying: “It’s not going to help matters. We’re back to where we were.”
Last month, Harry and Charles had their first face-to-face meeting in almost 20 months when father and son had tea together at Clarence House during Harry’s trip to the UK.
Sources close to Harry had previously suggested that the King could have intervened in the case, but palace sources have shut this down.
The Sunday Times reports that the King and his advisers had hoped the Court of Appeal ruling would draw a line under the issue – and help get his relationship with Harry back on track. But following this latest move, a source added: “The King cannot and will not lobby, that’s inappropriate. His representatives cannot advocate for policy outcomes, particularly in relation to his own family.
“The royal household representative on the Royal and VIP executive committee [Ravec], overseen by the Home Office, is not there to advocate a position for a member of the royal family. They are purely there as a liaison to the household.
“If you put yourself in the mind of a father who is repeatedly told he should and could intervene, that is not very helpful, complicates matters and shows a lack of understanding about the reality of the situation.”
It comes after during Harry’s last visit to the UK in September, a “known stalker” came “within feet” of him on two occasions, it was reported. A source close to Harry said the duke’s letter to Ms Mahmood was sent prior to the two incidents during his September visit.
After losing the Court of Appeal challenge in May, Harry said in a TV interview he “can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK”.
The 41-year-old told the BBC he would ask then-home secretary Yvette Cooper to “look at this very, very carefully”, and warned that the royal family’s power over security means it “can be used to control” family members. He also said he would ask Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to “step in”.
The legal challenge came after Harry and the Duchess of Sussex left the UK and first moved to Canada, and then California, after announcing they wanted to step back as senior royals.
In a summary of the ruling, judge Sir Geoffrey Vos said Ravec’s decision was “understandable and perhaps predictable”. The duke said the Court of Appeal decision meant it is now “impossible” for him to bring Meghan and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet back to the UK safely.
A Government spokesperson said: “The UK Government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.”
Source: Mirror
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