Prince Harry, son of King Charles III, expressed his deep disappointment on Friday after losing a long-standing legal battle over security protection in the United Kingdom. Despite the setback, he said he still holds out hope for reconciliation with his family.
“There have been many disagreements and differences between me and some of my family,” Harry told the BBC. Referring to his fight for personal security, he added, “This issue, which has been ongoing for five years and concerns the safety of human life, remains the main point of contention. It’s the last remaining issue.”
Harry emphasized that he is open to mending ties with his relatives, saying he “would love reconciliation,” but made it clear that resolving the security matter is “100%” necessary to move forward.
“I believed that, regardless of any disagreements or chaos, I could count on my family to keep me safe,” he said. “But not only was my security removed in the U.K., they also effectively signaled to other governments around the world not to offer protection.”
In response to Harry’s remarks, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace told ABC News, “All of these matters have been thoroughly and repeatedly examined by the courts, which have consistently reached the same conclusion.”
Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex arrives at the the Royal Courts of Justice, Britain’s High Court, in central London, on April 8, 2025, for the second day of his appeal hearing over the downgrading of his personal security during visits in Britain. (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)
Prince Harry revealed that his father, King Charles III—who announced a cancer diagnosis last year—is no longer speaking to him, largely due to the ongoing dispute over security protection.
“There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious,” Harry said in an emotional statement, also shared on his website following the court ruling. “I don’t know how much longer my father has, you know. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff. But it would be nice to reconcile.”
King Charles’ cancer diagnosis was made public by Buckingham Palace in February 2024, though no specific details about the type or stage of the illness or his treatment have been disclosed.
Despite the diagnosis, the King has resumed public duties. On Thursday, he appeared in good spirits while hosting a reception for the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association at Windsor Castle, and later joined the visiting King and Queen of Sweden in planting a Swedish oak tree on the grounds.
Prince Harry, son of King Charles III, has spoken out following the loss of a yearslong legal battle for security protection in the United Kingdom, saying he is “devastated” by the outcome but still hopes for reconciliation with his family.
“There have been many disagreements and differences between me and some of my family,” Harry told the BBC. “This issue, which has been ongoing for five years and concerns the safety of human life, remains the main point of contention. It’s the last remaining issue.”
Harry expressed a desire to repair family ties, stating he would “love reconciliation,” but made clear that resolving the security issue is “100%” necessary to begin healing.
“I thought, with all the disagreements and all of the chaos, the one thing I could count on was my family keeping me safe,” he said. “But not only did they remove my security in the U.K., they also signaled to governments around the world not to protect us.”
He added that the legal battle has also strained his relationship with his father. “There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious,” Harry said. “I don’t know how much longer my father has, you know. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff. But it would be nice to reconcile.”
King Charles’ cancer diagnosis was announced by Buckingham Palace in February 2024, though the palace has not disclosed details about the type or stage of his illness or treatment. Despite the diagnosis, the King has resumed public duties.
On Wednesday, he attended an official engagement at Buckingham Palace in support of cancer awareness. Smiling alongside Queen Camilla and guests, Charles reflected on his personal experience with cancer in a statement shared at the event.
“It has certainly given me an even deeper appreciation of the extraordinary work undertaken by the remarkable organisations and individuals gathered here this evening, many of whom I have known, visited and supported over the years,” he said. “And it has reinforced what I have long observed during these visits — that the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion.”
On Thursday, he also hosted a reception for the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association at Windsor Castle and joined the King and Queen of Sweden in planting a Swedish oak tree on the grounds.
In response to Harry’s remarks, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told ABC News, “All of these matters have been thoroughly and repeatedly examined by the courts, which have consistently reached the same conclusion.”
Image:Yui Mok/Pool via Reuters
Prince Harry ‘Devastated’ by U.K. Court Ruling on Security, Still Hopes for Family Reconciliation
Prince Harry has spoken out following a major legal setback in his yearslong fight for security protection in the United Kingdom. In a statement and interview Friday, he said he is “devastated” by the outcome but remains hopeful about the possibility of reconciling with his family—though he made it clear that the unresolved security issue remains the key barrier.
The U.K. judge’s ruling marked the end of Harry’s legal challenge stemming from a 2020 decision by the British government to revoke automatic, taxpayer-funded police protection for him and his family when visiting the U.K. That decision came after Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, stepped back from their roles as senior working royals.
Under current policy, Harry is granted police protection only on a case-by-case basis during visits to the U.K., a determination made by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, or RAVEC. The committee also rejected his offer to personally pay for official police security during those visits.
In court last year, a London judge ruled the government acted within its rights to remove the automatic protection. On Friday, the judge reiterated that position, saying that while Harry’s legal team presented “powerful and moving” arguments, the prince’s sense of grievance “did not translate into a legal argument.”
“The duke was in effect stepping in and out of the cohort of protection provided by RAVEC,” the judge explained. “Outside the U.K., he was outside the cohort, but when in the U.K., his security would be considered as appropriate.” He added that RAVEC’s reasoning “seemed sensible” and was not illogical or inappropriate.
Harry, meanwhile, said the yearslong legal battle has also deepened the rift between him and his father, King Charles III.
“There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious,” Harry told the BBC. “I don’t know how much longer my father has, you know. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff. But it would be nice to reconcile.”
Charles’ cancer diagnosis was publicly announced by Buckingham Palace in February 2024, though no further details about the type or stage of cancer or his treatment have been disclosed. Despite his illness, the King has returned to public duties.
On Wednesday, Charles and Queen Camilla attended an official engagement at Buckingham Palace in support of cancer awareness. In a statement shared at the event, the King reflected on his own experience with illness:
“It has certainly given me an even deeper appreciation of the extraordinary work undertaken by the remarkable organisations and individuals gathered here this evening, many of whom I have known, visited and supported over the years. And it has reinforced what I have long observed during these visits—that the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion.”
A day later, Charles hosted a reception for the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association at Windsor Castle and later joined the King and Queen of Sweden in planting a Swedish oak tree.
In response to Harry’s remarks, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told ABC News, “All of these matters have been thoroughly and repeatedly examined by the courts, which have consistently reached the same conclusion.”
During court hearings in April, Prince Harry’s lawyers argued that he faces serious security threats, including from terrorist groups like al-Qaeda, who they say have called for his assassination.
Harry, who is fifth in line to the British throne, has said in the past that he feels the risk to his safety in the U.K. is so high that he’s hesitant to bring his family there.
