It’s a well known fact at this point that Prince Harry and King Charles aren’t exactly on speaking terms, although it turns out even if the king wanted to speak to his youngest child, he wouldn’t be able to thanks to Harry’s legal battle with the home office.
The Duke of Sussex is currently locked in a pretty lengthy court case against the home office over the level of his security in the U.K. Harry has previously emphasized the importance of his family’s safety. However, he’s essentially fighting the U.K. government which, as you’d expect, puts his father in a bit of an awkward position. The king can’t be seen as endorsing his son as it would mean he’s taking sides against his own government.
Prince Harry’s court case with the home office has been going on since 2020 after the decision was made that he would no longer have access to automatic police security funded by the taxpayer. Although he challenged the decision, the high court dismissed his challenge in February of 2024, maintaining that the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) had acted lawfully in reaching its decision to strip the prince of his security measures.
Four months after the High Court decision, in June, it was announced that Harry would appeal against the ruling meaning the legal battle would continue.
Why this puts King Charles in an awkward position
Speaking to the Daily Beast about Charles and Harry’s deteriorating relationship, British Journalist Robert Hardman explained that the legal aspect is “a real concern.” There’s a good chance that it’s part of the reason the two don’t speak as much.
“If Harry were to interpret a simple “best wishes” from his father as an endorsement of his case, that could put the king in an awkward position as regards his government.”
Taking his son’s side might seem like the obvious thing for a father to do, but Charles’ unique position means he has to remain neutral. He can’t be seen to endorse Harry’s legal fight and so the only thing for him to do is keep as much distance as possible, “People might say ‘Why can’t they just sit down and talk?’ but legally, it’s much more complicated.” Of course, from Harry’s perspective, the lack of support from his father is frustrating and further pushes him away from his own father.
Ever since stepping down as a Royal in 2020, Prince Harry has repeatedly broken all kinds of royal norms. He is also currently taking on the British tabloids in court, which is another thing contributing to his alienation from his family. It seems all Harry wants is to see support from the royals, meanwhile it’s likely his relatives in the U.K. are no doubt just wishing he’d toe the line.
Would the rift between family members disappear if Harry dropped his court battles tomorrow? It’s doubtful, as there’s still a lot of past events and actions that would need to be worked through. But it would certainly make things easier for the family to start talking again if the court case was concluded one way or another.