Whenever Prince Harry makes his way back to the UK, there’s always a buzz about whether he’ll catch up with his father, King Charles. Harry has made several trips home this year, including a recent one for a charity awards ceremony.
His last visit, believed to have included a brief meeting with Charles, came shortly after the King was diagnosed with cancer. Due to the urgency of the visit, Charles could only spare less than an hour with Harry in London before returning to Sandringham for rest.
Harry’s subsequent UK visit was in May for a St Paul’s Cathedral service celebrating a decade of his Invictus Games. Before this trip, it’s reported that Harry requested a meeting with the King, who replied with a hopeful four-word response: “If he is able”.
“Harry has kept in regular contact with his father on several occasions and made no secret of his desire to see him when he can,” a source revealed. “He has been especially concerned about him and hopes the King will be well and able to see him as planned.”
However, the anticipated meeting didn’t happen, sparking curiosity at the time. A statement from Harry implied his father was too occupied to meet, and later reports suggested the King had even offered Harry accommodation at a Royal residence, reports the Mirror.
At the time, insiders close to the Sussexes claimed that Prince Harry had difficulty connecting with his father as he endeavoured to negotiate over his security arrangements.
Since stepping back from Royal duties, the Duke has been entangled in a protracted dispute over his UK security since losing entitlement to police protection, leading to failed court attempts to have it reinstated for himself, Meghan, and their children, with an appeal in the pipeline.
People magazine reported that Harry feels his father could assist in restoring his security detail, but a palace source refuted this as “wholly inaccurate”. A confidant of Harry’s disclosed to the magazine: “He gets ‘unavailable right now’.
“His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King’s health, but those calls go unanswered too.”
Meanwhile, another friend signalled Harry’s fear, noting: “Harry is frightened and feels the only person who can do anything about it is his father,” and a different insider pointed out: “Harry is determined to protect his own family at all costs.”
In February 2020, Harry undertook legal proceedings against the decision by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which deemed him ineligible for the “same degree” of public-funded protection while in the country, following the duke’s transition away from being a “full-time working member of the Royal family”, as informed to a judge.
In February, retired High Court judge Sir Peter Lane dismissed the Duke’s claim that he was “singled out” and treated “less favourably” by the decision, ruling that Ravec’s approach was neither irrational nor procedurally unfair. Following the judgement, a legal representative for Harry stated that the Duke “hopes to obtain justice from the Court of Appeal”.
Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily Showbiz newsletter here.