Prince Harry is expected to travel to the UK in the coming weeks for a High Court case, but the Duke of Sussex is not expected to meet his father, King Charles, during his return
Prince Harry is not expected to meet his father, King Charles, on his upcoming trip to the UK(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Prince Harry is not expected to meet his father, King Charles, on his upcoming trip to the UK. The Duke of Sussex, 41, is due to return to London from California in the coming weeks for the start of legal action against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail.
Last time Harry was in London in September, he had a long-awaited reunion with his father, with the pair seeing each other face-to-face for the first time in 19 months. The pair had afternoon tea together at Clarence House, with Harry later describing his father, 77, as ‘great’.
The trial at the High Court is due to start on 19 January, although the date and the timetable has yet to be finalised. It is around this time that the King is expected to be in Scotland for his traditional post-Christmas stay at Balmoral.
Harry is expected to travel to the UK in the coming weeks(Image: PA)
According to The Telegraph, royal sources have also acknowledged that Charles does not wish to be linked to any court proceedings, so in turn will give his son a wide berth on this occasion.
In May, Harry gave an interview to the BBC in which he claimed this father would not speak to him because of his legal fight with the Home Office over security, and he did not know “how much longer my father has” as he described his hopes for a “reconciliation”.
The surprise sit-down chat came after Harry lost a Court of Appeal challenge over his security arrangements while in the UK. But in a major U-turn, the Home Office is said to have now ordered a full threat assessment for the first time since 2020, amid reports Harry’s taxpayer-funded armed security will be reinstated for visits to the UK.
A source close to the Sussexes told the Mail On Sunday that following the new risk assessment: “It’s now a formality. Sources at the Home Office have indicated that security is now nailed-on for Harry.”
Harry reunited with Charles for the first time in 19 months on his last visit to the UK in September(Image: PA)
During his previous High Court case, Harry argued that his security situation in the UK made it “impossible” for him to safely bring his wife Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, back to his home country.
In October, it emerged that a ‘known’ stalker of Harry came within yards of him during his visit to the UK last September. They were reportedly found hiding in the toilets of a swanky London hotel just minutes before he was due to arrive for an event. It came after the same woman is said to have been “body blocked” by Harry’s security just days later during his trip to the UK last month.
A source added: “If you knew about the kind of threats Harry and his children have been getting then you would understand why he doesn’t want to bring the kids over until police protection is granted.”
A spokesman for the Sussexes declined to comment. A government spokesman said: “The UK Government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.”