King Charles unable to speak to Harry over fear of media leak, insider claims: Live

The Duke of Sussex has lost an appeal against a ruling related to the level of taxpayer-funded security he receives while he is in the UK.

Last year, retired High Court judge Sir Peter Lane dismissed Harry’s challenge against the February 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of taxpayer-funded protection when in the country.

Ravec has delegated responsibility from the Home Office over the provision of protective security arrangements for members of the royal family and others, with involvement from the Metropolitan Police, the Cabinet Office and the royal household.

Prince Harry has been criticised for saying “I don’t know how much longer my father has” in an emotional TV interview.

After losing his legal challenge on Friday, the duke told the BBC: “I would love a reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. I don’t know how much longer my father has.”

This comment has drawn criticism, with former press secretary to the late Queen Ailsa Anderson telling Sky News: “That’s going to cause real concern and more speculation in the media and the wider public about what his diagnosis is, which is incredibly unhelpful going forward.”

Predicting that Buckingham Palace will be “raising their eyes heavenwards” in response to the interview, Ms Anderson added: “What you don’t want to do is have your private life played out in the media. So if you truly want reconciliation, you’ll do it in private, not in a BBC News interview.”

Prince Harry explained the security decision made it impossible for him to bring his family to the UK safely.

He added that he can’t see a world where his family would be able to visit.

“I miss the UK, I miss parts of the UK, of course I do, and I think it’s sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland,” he said.

A royal insider has revealed King Charles is “frustrated and upset” with how Prince Harry has handled the ongoing security dispute.

A friend of the King said Charles believed it would have been “constitutionally improper” to intervene in Harry’s legal case, The Sun reported.

He added that he has been personally hurt by his actions.

“What has frustrated and upset him on a more personal level is the Duke’s failure to respect this principle,” the insider said.

“And for his supporters to suggest that somehow his father doesn’t care about his family, or should step in.

“He’s been particularly concerned that it has taken considerable resources and cost for the Government to defend their position.”

King Charles will be joined by senior royals, military veterans and large crowds to witness the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

The celebrations, involving a grand military parade and a flypast, will begin on Monday when London’s famous Big Ben clock strikes midday and extracts from British war leader Winston Churchill’s VE Day speech will be read out.

More than 1,300 members of Britain’s armed forces will then process through central London from outside parliament to Buckingham Palace, watched by the king, Queen Camilla, Prince William and his wife Kate along with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and veterans of the conflict.

Ukrainian armed forces will also take part to show Britain’s support for its war against Russia.

As the procession concludes, there will be a flypast by historic military aircraft and the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows aerobatics display team, watched by the royals from the balcony of Buckingham palace.

The royals will then host about 50 veterans and others who lived through the war for a tea party inside the palace.

King Charles would speak to Prince Harry if not for the fear of a “private and delicate” conversation ending up on a news special “within hours”, a close friend of the King has said.

Speaking to the Times, the friend accused Harry of seeing “conspiracy every time a decision doesn’t go in his direction”.

They added: “He is like a gambler in a casino who can’t walk away — he just doubles down. Even when he speaks of reconciliation, it is laced with threats and anger.

“It’s not that the King won’t speak to him — it’s that he can’t. How can you have a private and delicate conversation when you know it is going to end up on a news special within hours?

“Perhaps if he tried to earn rather than demand a reconciliation, things might go a little better for him. It’s just very tragic.”

During his bombshell BBC interview, Prince Harry spoke out against the committee responsible for keeping senior royals safe – the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec).

The committee decided he would not automatically receive comprehensive security when in the UK after he stepped down from royal duties.

But Prince Harry claimed the decision was made without carrying out a full review into the threats he faced.

He told the interviewer his “jaw hit the floor” when he discovered a representative of the Royal Household sits on the Ravec committee.

He claimed that enabled it to influence what security members of the Royal Family get.

The security risks still remain the same regardless of whether he is carrying out his royal duties or not, Prince Harry explained.

He said: “My status hasn’t changed. It can’t change. I am who I am.”

“I am part of what I’m part of, and I can never escape that. My circumstances will always be the same.”

“I was born into these risks, they’ve only increased over time,” he added.

The Duke of Sussex revealed there has been many disagreements between himself and his family – but he said he has forgiven them.

In the interview with the BBC he said: “There’s no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious.”

It comes after he stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California with his wife Megan Markle.

Commenting after the BBC interview, Buckingham Palace said: “All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.”

The Duke of Sussex said there is “no way to win this through the courts”, and said he would not be taking the legal challenge against the government to the Supreme Court.

In the BBC interview he said: “I don’t want any battles to continue.

“There is way too much suffering and way too much conflict in the world.”

But he did call on the Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary to intervene in how decisions are made by Ravec.

He said: “I’d ask the prime minister to step in. I would ask Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, to look at this very, very carefully.

“And I would ask her to review Ravec and its members… because if it is an expert body, then what is the royal household’s role there if it isn’t to influence and decide what they want for the members of their household?”