1 day Ago By [email protected] (Jennifer Newton)
Prince Harry's recent trip to the UK did not result in a meeting with his estranged father King Charles - and one expert has explained why this was the case. The Duke of Sussex came to London to be at a two-day hearing into his taxpayer-funded security arrangements when he and his family visit the UK. Harry has been challenging the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office over the decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of protection when in the UK.
His time in the UK last Sunday and early last Monday overlapped with his dad before the monarch and his wife Queen Camilla jetted off to Italy for a state visit. The rocky bond between father and son means it has been more than a year since Harry and the King have held a face-to-face meeting. And according to acclaimed royal biographer Robert Hardman, the reason for no meeting will have been due to Harry's court battle.
He told the Daily Mail's Palace Confidential show: "There is legal jeopardy which is the simple fact that here you have the son of the King suing the King's ministers in the King's court and that just creates all sorts of legal problems. "It would only need Harry to have a conversation with his father and then afterwards let slip, "Oh my dad said this or my dad said that" and as we know, he does repeat conversations quite readily. "That could lead to all sorts of problems.
It could actually bring down a court case because the king is the fount of justice. He has got to be very careful." Harry is now awaiting the judgement from his security appeal.
He previously argued he can not bring his wife Meghan and two children, Archie, five and Lilibet, three, to the UK, because he does not feel safe, despite being offered security if there is a specific threat. In February 2020, Ravec decided that the duke and his family should receive a different degree of protection when in the country after they moved to the US. Harry was allowed to stay in court when the confidential matters in the case were discussed.
And speaking to The Telegraph after leaving the Royal Courts of Justice, he claimed "people would be shocked by what’s being held back" adding that his "worst fears have been confirmed by the whole legal disclosure in this case and that’s really sad". It is reported that Harry suggested the decision taken over his security arrangements in the UK was an attempt to prevent him and wife Meghan, from quitting as working royals and moving abroad – which Buckingham Palace sources have vehemently denied. Harry said: "We were trying to create this happy house.
" Last year, reports emerged that Harry and his father were no longer speaking, with security named as the reason why. Sources close to the Sussexes claimed that Harry's calls to his dad were going unanswered as he tried to discuss his security arrangements with his father. Harry has been embroiled in a long-running battle over his security when he comes to the UK after he automatically lost the right to his police protection when he stepped down as a working royal.
According to PEOPLE magazine, Harry believes his dad could help to have this reinstated, although this has been dismissed as "wholly inaccurate" by a palace source. A friend of Harry's told the magazine at the time: "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." Get Royal Family updates straight to your WhatsApp! As the royals get back to their normal duties after a difficult year, the Mirror has launched its very own Royal WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest news on the UK's most famous family. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone.
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