Prince Harry delivered a scathing attack on his family, the Royal Household, and the Government just hours after losing his legal battle over the security entitlements for him and his family while in the UK.
The Duke of Sussex had challenged a decision to reduce his security after he and Meghan stepped down as working royals in 2020 and relocated to Montecito, California.
On Friday, he lost his bid to reverse the Home Office’s ruling at the Court of Appeal, a decision he has since angrily denounced as a ‘good old-fashioned Establishment stitch-up’.
At the core of his frustration is the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which decided that Harry should receive a reduced level of protection when returning to the UK.
When he and Meghan stepped down from official duties and moved to California, Ravec determined that the Sussexes would not receive full security coverage while in the UK, though they still receive state-funded protection on a case-by-case basis.
Outraged by the decision, the duke expressed concern that it sets a dangerous precedent, where security could be used as a tool to control family members.
“It effectively imprisons others from living a different life,” he said.
Harry’s explosive BBC interview has sparked widespread criticism, particularly after he revealed that his cancer-stricken father, King Charles, ‘won’t speak to me’ and claimed he ‘doesn’t know how much longer he has left’.
The interview has faced widespread criticism following his remarks that his cancer-stricken father, King Charles, ‘won’t speak to me’ and his claim that he ‘doesn’t know how much longer he has left’.
‘The sticking point’
During the interview, Prince Harry was quizzed by BBC journalist Nada Tawfik on whether the last step to repairing relations with his family was the security saga.
From the duke’s side, he says ‘100 per cent’, adding: ‘Whatever noise is being created, whatever stories have been written, this has always been the sticking point.
‘Put yourself in my shoes, if you step back to try to create a different role, the same official role, but a different working relationship with the institution that you were born into, for the sake of your wife and your own mental health and your child, which now a lot more has come out, because I felt as though it needed to come out – the other side of the story needed to be told, God forbid anything should happen.
‘And I don’t regret that at all. But 2020, when that decision happened, I couldn’t believe it. I actually couldn’t believe it.
‘I thought, with all the disagreements and all of the chaos that’s happening, the one thing that I could rely on is my family keeping me safe.
‘And not only did they decide to remove my security in the UK, but they also signalled to every single government around the world not to protect us.’
But a major stumbling block to reconciliation with his family also centres around his explosive revelations of private family matters to the public through his memoir Spare, his Netflix documentary series with Meghan and the couple’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.
During the interview, BBC journalist Nada Tawfik asked Prince Harry if the security issue was the final hurdle in mending his relationship with his family.
Harry said the security issue was ‘100 per cent’ the sticking point. But he has also aired private matters in his book Spare and in other interviews
Some of the most explosive revelations from Prince Harry include his allegation that Prince William physically assaulted him and his account of how King Charles failed to hug him after the death of their mother, Princess Diana, in a 1997 car crash in Paris.
In the widely viewed 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview, Harry and Meghan claimed that a senior royal expressed “concerns” about how dark their son Archie’s skin might be. Then, in his Netflix documentary released in December 2022, Harry said there is a “huge level of unconscious bias” within the Royal Family.
“This family,” he said, “sometimes you are part of the problem rather than part of the solution.”
In a January 2023 interview with ITV, he added that “silence is betrayal,” referring to the palace’s alleged failure to defend him and Meghan against public scrutiny.
“My risks and threats have been disregarded and ignored”
The Duke of Sussex has maintained that he faces greater danger than his mother once did, citing added threats driven by racism and extremism.
In his memoir Spare, he revealed he killed 25 Taliban fighters during his military service in Afghanistan — a claim that prompted al-Qaeda to call for his assassination.
Speaking to the BBC, Harry said: “A whole list of risks and threats that were known about in 2020 — including the al-Qaeda threat that was recently discussed — were completely disregarded, thrown away, ignored.”
He added that he and Meghan had wanted to continue serving in their royal roles, but were prevented from doing so in 2020.
Following the interview, Harry released a statement detailing threats he has received from neo-Nazis and extremists — some of whom are now behind bars.
His fears are underscored by past attacks on the Royal Family, including the assassination of Lord Mountbatten, the Queen’s cousin, by an IRA bomb in 1979.
However, a senior security source told The Times that the Duke of Sussex — who visited Ukraine last month — no longer faces the same level of threat. They noted that, as fifth in line to the throne, he is typically in locations with “substantial security” when in the UK.
“I struggle to forgive those who knowingly put my family in harm’s way”
When asked if he feels let down by his country, Prince Harry said he is open to forgiving his family — including King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Prince William.
However, he admitted that he continues to struggle with forgiving those who made the decision to reduce his security protection.
“What I’m struggling to forgive — and probably always will — is the decision made in 2020 that impacts me every single day and knowingly puts my family at risk,” he said.
“Everyone knew they were putting us in danger in 2020, and they hoped that by making me aware of that risk, it would pressure us into returning.”
Harry said he is willing to forgive his father, Prince William, and Queen Camilla — but not those responsible for downgrading his security. He was last pictured with the Royal Family at a Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey in 2020.
“But when it became clear that the pressure tactic hadn’t worked, did no one stop to think: don’t you still want to keep us safe?” he said. “Whether it’s the government, the royal household, or my own family — despite our differences — don’t you want to ensure our safety?”
Harry believes the reduction in security for him and Meghan was intended as leverage to stop them from stepping away from royal duties — a claim disputed by those involved in the decision.
A security source told The Times: “There was already a question about whether Harry needed protection at all times, and what the appropriate level of security should be to minimize disruption while keeping him safe.”
They noted that very few individuals receive top-tier protection — typically only the Prime Minister and the monarch.
“My jaw hit the floor”
Prince Harry says he was stunned by the motives behind the 2020 decision to reduce his security. At the start of that year, he says he was assessed as high-risk — only for his protection to be downgraded “overnight,” without a review by the Risk Management Board.
He described the most difficult aspect as grappling with the ethics of that decision over the past five years.
“I now have the full picture,” he said. “Through the legal process, I’ve uncovered my worst fears — and today’s judgment confirms there was no legal framework governing the decisions made by RAVEC, the body that includes members of the royal household. I didn’t know that until the legal proceedings began in 2021.”
He recalled a key moment early in the case: “One of the first things my lawyer said to me as the disclosures began was, ‘Did you know the royal household sits on RAVEC?’ My jaw hit the floor.”
Prince Harry said the most difficult part of the past five years has been coming to terms with what he calls the ethics behind the decision to cut his security.
He has suggested that the royal household may have influenced RAVEC — the committee responsible for royal security — to reduce his protection. Harry emphasized that, if it were up to him, he would not be represented by the royal household at all, arguing they should act in his best interests, which he believes they have not.
Although RAVEC includes members of the royal household, government sources maintain that the Palace does not interfere in its decisions.
“RAVEC reaches decisions independent of the Palace,” a source told The Times. “This is not a case of the Palace calling up and making demands.”
“My status hasn’t changed”
Despite stepping back from royal duties and relocating to the U.S., Harry insists he remains at risk simply by virtue of being a royal.
When the interviewer suggested that his change in role explained why he did not receive a Risk Management Board review, she asked, “Do you not accept that from the court?”
Harry responded: “My status hasn’t changed — it can’t change. I am who I am, I’m part of what I’m part of, and I can never escape that. My circumstances will always be the same.”
Critics question Harry and Meghan’s push for privacy
While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have often cited a desire for privacy as the reason behind their departure from the UK, critics argue that their continued presence in the public spotlight contradicts that claim. Since relocating to Montecito, the couple has signed high-profile deals, including Netflix shows, podcasts, and media interviews.
In March, Meghan released a new Netflix series titled With Love, Meghan, which has already been renewed for a second season.
“I don’t want history to repeat itself”
In a striking moment during the interview, Harry appeared to allude to the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana. He expressed concern that some people may be hoping for a similar outcome.
“I don’t want history to repeat itself,” he told the BBC. “I think the majority of people don’t want that either. But through the disclosure process, I’ve discovered that some people do — which is pretty dark.”
Harry did not name who he was referring to or clarify what he meant by the claim.
He added: “I know all the names of those involved in this process, and it raises a serious question — why wasn’t I subjected to the same Risk Management Board review that other members of my family went through?”
In a particularly striking moment during the interview, Prince Harry appeared to reference the death of his mother, Princess Diana, suggesting there are those who would like “history to repeat itself.”
Pictured: Harry walking alone.
He continued: “Whether I have an official role or not is irrelevant when it comes to the security I require. Let me put it another way — my position doesn’t change the level of threat, the risks I face, or the potential damage to the UK’s reputation if something were to happen to me.”
Harry also emphasized that his royal status was not something he chose: “I didn’t ask to be born into this. I’ve served my country for 35 years, and I believe I’m still serving it to this day.”
“I don’t know how much longer my father has”
One of the most controversial moments of the interview came when Prince Harry commented on King Charles’s cancer diagnosis — a rare public reference to the monarch’s private health.
“I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight — life is precious,” Harry said. “I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security issue, but it would be nice to reconcile.”
His remarks about the King’s health are not believed to have been well received by the Royal Family, who have maintained a private stance on the matter.
The moment that drew the most backlash from the interview was Prince Harry’s public speculation about his father King Charles’s battle with cancer.
Pictured: Charles and Harry in 2022.
Royal sources told ITV News that Harry’s comments about his father’s cancer were “particularly in poor taste” and suggested that the late Queen Elizabeth would have been “horrified” by the remarks. They also expressed concern that the interview, in general, had “further alienated the royal family and diminished any chances for reconciliation.”
“I can only come to the UK safely if I’m invited”
When asked about his future visits to the UK and whether his children would be able to see their grandfather, Prince Harry responded: “Life is a precious thing, and I am acutely aware of its fragility. I can only come to the UK safely if I’m invited.”
He continued, stating that much of the control rests with his father: “Ultimately, this could all be resolved by him, not necessarily through intervention but by stepping aside and allowing the experts to carry out a Risk Management Board review.”
Harry also pointed out that the situation began under a previous government and that a new administration is now in power.
“I’ve been told by some that once the facts came to light, it’s a good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up — and that’s what it feels like.”
In response, a Palace spokesperson firmly dismissed the claim of a “stitch-up,” stating: “All of these issues have been examined thoroughly by the courts, and the same conclusion has been reached each time.”
