Prince Harry’s renewed bid to have his taxpayer-funded security reinstated is putting his relationship with the King at risk.
That’s according to royal sources close to the monarch who have claimed the Duke of Sussex’s most recent appeal to the government ”complicates matters” for the King.
It follows Prince Harry’s decision to write to UK home secretary Shabana Mahmood, asking for his security in the to be reviewed.
Prince Harry’s recent bid to have his security boosted risks his reconciliation with the king, sources have said. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
On Friday, The Times confirmed the duke had lodged a formal request with the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), which is overseen by the Home Office, asking for a risk-assessment process to be conducted.
The last time Prince Harry’s risk assessment was done was in 2019, before he and wife Meghan announced their decision to leave the UK.
The couple lost their right to automatic police protection when they stepped back as senior working royals in 2020 to live in the US.
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Prince Harry, pictured outside the High Court in London in April, lost his appeal for taxpayer-funded security in May. (Anadolu via Getty Images)
Now, Prince Harry’s security is decided on a case by case basis, with the duke required to give a month’s notice before he visits the UK.
In May, the duke lost his final appeal in the High Court to have his police protection reinstated.
He most recently flew to London in September for several charity events.
It later emerged a known stalker got close to Prince Harry on two occasions, with a member of his private staff forced to “body-block” the royal when the woman was recognised.
During that trip, Prince Harry met with his father face to face at Clarence House for the first time in 19 months.
But the duke’s recent move to have his automatic police protection reinstated could make King Charles wary of future meetings with his younger son.
“It’s not going to help matters,” said a royal source told The Times.
“The King cannot and will not lobby, that’s inappropriate.
Prince Harry met his father at Clarence House in London on September 10. (Ben Montgomery/Getty Images)
“If you put yourself in the mind of a father who is repeatedly told he should and could intervene, that is not very helpful, complicates matters and shows a lack of understanding about the reality of the situation.”
In May, hours after losing his court appeal, Prince Harry pleaded for reconciliation with his family.
In a BBC interview he described the court’s ruling as “a good old-fashioned establishment stitch up.”
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He told the BBC: “I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.”
Prince Harry is understood to be planning on returning to the UK several times a year, moving forward.
He is hoping to have his security boosted so he can bring his family with him.
Prince Harry was approached by a known stalker during his visit to the Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London on September 10. (Suzanne Plunkett – Pool/Getty Images)
The last time Meghan, and their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, were with Prince Harry together in the UK was in June 2022, during the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The duke has previously said he does not feel it is safe to bring Meghan and the children back to the UK without additional protection.
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