King Charles Intervening in Prince Harry’s UK Case Would Have Been “Constitutionally Improper,” Says Source

Prince Harry has said he is “devastated” he won’t be able to come back to the UK with his family after losing a high-stakes appeal against the Home Office over his security in the UK. In a shattering blow, he was told by a judge that his “sense of grievance” over his downgraded security had not “translated into a legal argument.”

In a candid and extensive interview with the BBC following the judgement, the duke said he didn’t “want any more battles” over his security, and is now drawing a line. He added that he felt he had been cut off by his father, King Charles III, because he had chosen to pursue the Home Office through the courts.

He also said that his bond with the UK was strong, but he would never be able to safely return with his family. “I love my country and always have done,” he said. “Despite what some people in that country have done. So I miss the UK. I miss parts of the UK. Of course I do. I think it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.”

He also launched a scathing attack on the royal household—some of whom Harry said he’d learned sat on the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, the government body known as RAVEC that made the decision on his security arrangements—for jeopardizing his chances of coming back to the UK. He described the court’s decision as “a good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up.”

The king is said to have advised Harry early on to drop the legal action. Harry told the BBC that he did not ask King Charles to intervene in the case. “I’ve asked him to step out of the way and let the experts do their job.”

The duke said he is no longer in contact with his father. “Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has,” Harry said. “He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.”

“I would love reconciliation with my family,” he added. “There’s no point continuing to fight anymore.”

Harry said that the publication of his 2023 book, Spare, affected his family relationships. “Some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book,” he said. “Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things.”

The duke noted that he has only come back to the UK for funerals, court cases, and occasional charity events since leaving Britain, adding, “I can’t see a world in which I will be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”

Harry is reportedly facing an estimated 1.5 million British pounds (about $2 million) in legal costs. He previously said in court he believed he’d been “singled out” for “unjustified, inferior treatment” since he and his wife, Meghan, left five years ago.

Buckingham Palace responded to the ruling in a statement, saying, “All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion,” the palace said.

A royal source added that it would have been “constitutionally improper for His Majesty to intervene while this matter was being considered by the government and reviewed by the courts.”