London (AFP) – Prince Harry wants “reconciliation” with his estranged family, but “can’t see” himself bringing “his wife and children back to the UK” after losing a security court case, he told the BBC Friday. “Some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book …but I would love for reconciliation,” Harry told the BBC. The interview aired hours after London’s Court of Appeal rejected Harry’s appeal to restore his full UK police protection when visiting Britain, a decision that left him “devastated.”
“I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK,” the visibly upset prince told the broadcaster. Harry, who quit the British royal family in 2020, revealed that his father King Charles III “won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.” As a result, he doesn’t know how long his father, who is receiving treatment for cancer, has left to live, said the prince.
Charles’ youngest son, also known as the Duke of Sussex, has been embroiled in the years-long legal saga since the UK government downgraded his security when he left to live abroad with his wife, Meghan. Speaking from California, Harry called the court decision a “good old fashioned establishment stitch up” and accused the Royal Household of influencing the ruling. He alleged the security issue had been “used as leverage” to control him and urged his father and the government to help.
“There is a lot of control and ability in my father’s hands. Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through him, not necessarily by intervening, but by stepping aside, allowing the experts to do what is necessary.” Harry added the original decision to downgrade his protection was “initiated under a previous government, and there is now a new government,” urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer and interior minister Yvette Cooper to intervene.
The prince, who will not escalate the case to the Supreme Court, said “I miss the UK” and that “it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show…my children my homeland.”
© 2024 AFP
