Prince Harry’s fight for security reveals deep family divides, with his relationship with King Charles remaining strained amid the ongoing legal battleHarry’s calls and letters to his father remain unanswered, leaving him in the dark about the King’s health.The Duke of Sussex is determined to expose injustice, with a ruling on his appeal expected in the coming weeks.
As Prince Harry’s long-running legal fight over U.K. security reaches a pivotal moment, the Duke of Sussex’s relationship with his father, King Charles, remains strained — a sign that the wounds within the royal family are far from healed.
“I don’t think there is any rapprochement,” a source close to the palace tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “Nothing has changed.”
Adds another source: “They are distant.”
Though Harry, 40, has become a familiar figure in Britain’s courtrooms, fighting back against the U.K. tabloid press with unyielding resolve, the case to restore his state-funded official security — which was stripped from him in 2020 after he and Meghan Markle stepped back from royal duties — “has always mattered the most,” he told PEOPLE as he left London’s Royal Courts of Justice on April 9.
This isn’t just a legal appeal for him — it’s a fight to protect Meghan and their children Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3, and perhaps a final chance at reconciliation with his father.
The courtroom tensions mirror the personal rift between father and son. Charles’s advisers are directly tied to RAVEC, the government’s Royal and VIP Executive Committee, which is denying Harry’s protection. One of Harry’s core beliefs is that the removal of official security was a calculated attempt to control him and Meghan, 43 — and to deter them from stepping away from royal life and starting a new chapter outside the U.K.
But in Harry’s view, the decision only revealed the lengths to which the palace was willing to go — and became his final straw. He admits that this realization “was difficult to swallow” and has deepened an already raw rift.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex leaves the Royal Courts of Justice on April 8, 2025 in London, England.
Belinda Jiao/Getty
Amid the tumult, Harry feels his father — who serves as the ceremonial head of state — could easily intervene and have his security reinstated, though the palace has consistently denied this.
The emotional distance between father and son has only widened. Their last face-to-face meeting was a brief 30-minute encounter in February 2024, shortly after Charles, 76, publicly revealed his cancer diagnosis. Queen Camilla, 77, was present, and there have been no private father-son conversations since.
Sources close to Harry say his calls and letters continue to go unanswered. The estrangement is so profound that Harry learned of his father’s March 27 hospitalization — related to complications from treatment — through the media.
Friends note that during each of Harry’s last three U.K. visits, Charles has been unavailable —including this month, despite Harry’s court date having long been scheduled and known ahead of the King’s overlapping state visit to Italy.
Harry also remains in the dark about his father’s current condition and prognosis.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
Those close to Harry believe the King is deliberately keeping his distance, in part to avoid being drawn into discussions about security.
“[The legal battle] puts Harry in direct contact with the people who are carrying out the King’s orders,” royal author Sally Bedell Smith tells PEOPLE. “If his father was to say something even seemingly innocuous, it could end up landing in the middle of the court case.”
Still, another source with close palace ties pushes back, saying a distinction between personal life and official duties could be made, “but things have been febrile for a while.”
King Charles and Prince Harry in 2022.
Jeff J Mitchell – WPA Pool/Getty
The same is true of Harry’s fractured relationship with his brother Prince William, 42, who also hasn’t responded to calls or messages from Harry.
While Harry still hopes for reconciliation, trust remains a major hurdle. The fallout from Spare, Harry’s candid memoir that exposed private conversations and long-held tensions, continues to weigh heavily on their relationship. “These are things that would have been considered confidential,” Bedell Smith notes.
At the same time, Harry wants Archie and Lilibet to connect with their U.K. roots, experience their heritage and build relationships with extended family.
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex with Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram
While much of the hearing was conducted in private because of the sensitive nature of the case, Harry has been shaken by some of the information that emerged during the proceedings. “People would be shocked by what’s being held back,” Harry said.
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Following the hearing, a source close to Harry’s legal team said they were “cautiously optimistic” about the outcome. A ruling is expected in the coming weeks.
Regardless of the outcome of the legal case, Harry said, he is “driven by exposing injustice” and a desire to “get under the bonnet and fix” what’s broken. His determination is deeply personal: If anything were to happen to Meghan or their two young children, he could never rest.
Says a source close to the situation: “He feels very strongly this is something he must fight for.”