Prince Harry and King Charles’ relationship has soured to the point that the father and son are no longer speaking, People reports this week, and the reason is largely due to Harry’s concerns over the safety of his wife, Meghan Markle, and children, Archie and Lilibet. Multiple sources close to Harry spoke to the outlet about what caused the estrangement. Another source addressed how Meghan feels about the situation.
For context, since Meghan and Harry stepped back from their senior royal family roles in 2020, they lost their taxpayer-funded police protection that other working royal family members have. Harry has been in court, trying to fight for his right to pay for that level of security so his family can safely spend time in his birth country. He lost his case earlier this year but plans to appeal it, People reported.
Just last week, Harry made headlines for saying he won’t bring his family to the U.K., speaking out in the ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial. He explained that the negative tabloid coverage has increased their threat risk: “All it takes is for one lone actor who reads this stuff to act on what they’ve read. And whether it’s a knife or acid, these are things that are genuine concerns for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
The Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures is the organization that determines who receives police protection; although King Charles has no governmental power in the U.K., Harry believes Charles has some influence and could help reinstate the Sussexes’ security. (Some of Charles’ staff is on the committee.)
“Harry is frightened and feels the only person who can do anything about it is his father,” a royal insider told People. Yet a palace source dismissed this notion to the outlet, calling it “wholly incorrect” to say the Sussexes’ security is in Charles’ hands.
Still, the dilemma has taken a toll on Charles and Harry’s personal relationship. It has also led to Meghan and Harry moving to California and taking the high-figure deals they have with Netflix and other companies so they can fund their own security.
Multiple sources close to Harry told People that, at this point, Charles and Harry are no longer talking, and Charles is ignoring his son’s attempts at outreach.
“He gets ‘unavailable right now,’” one friend of Harry’s said. “His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King’s health [Charles revealed his cancer diagnosis earlier this year], but those calls go unanswered too.”
Of course, it’s complicated on both sides. People spoke to sources close to the palace who pointed to Harry’s memoir and interviews eroding the royals’ trust in him. Insiders close to Harry rebutted, saying he had no choice but to speak out due to the security issue. If that problem is resolved, “It’s ‘swords down,’” one friend said. Harry does want to rekindle the relationship with his father. “At the end of the day, you can’t undo bloodlines,” the friend explained. “He’s not asking his dad for a nicer house or nicer cars. He’s asking because of the reality of the situation. He is at risk.”
As for Meghan’s perspective on the situation? She just wants Harry to find peace. “[She] supports Harry 100 percent, but she wishes he could let go of these lawsuits, be happy, and live in the moment,” a former Archewell staffer told People. “She wants him to be free of all of this, but she also knows that because of everything he’s been through and his love for [her and their children], he can’t. She wants him to live in a world where he is not burdened by this.”
Royal reporter Omid Scobie offered similar perspective to ELLE.com last November, when discussing whether Meghan is likely to reconcile with the royal family. Even if Harry and his brother, Prince William, did make amends, “I don’t think it changes Meghan’s position,” Scobie said. “We’ve seen her in the last year really establish herself as an independent individual that is not riding on the coattails of her royal past or really even interested in being involved in that world. I know her team spoke about [how] she wasn’t coming over for the coronation because of Archie's birthday, but I also know from speaking with people that there was also a desire to stay away from the noise and hysteria that comes any time she sets foot near the country, let alone the family. And the way they were treated during the time of the Queen’s death and the funeral really reinforced for her that she had not only made the right decision, but didn’t want to go anywhere near [it] again.
“They said it loud and clear that they were looking for conversations and accountability and for people to own their roles and everything that had happened, and no one has so there is no reason for anything to change moving forward. One could argue the balls are all in the royal family’s court, and we know that they’re not hitting them back anytime soon.”
