If you thought 2025 might be a breakthrough year in the War of the Windsors, the latest antagonistic salvos from Montecito make that a very bad bet to take.
In fact, straight from himself, The Prince Who Dared To Break Free .
鈥淚 would love reconciliation with my family. I鈥檝e always, you know, there鈥檚 no point in continuing to fight anymore,鈥 Harry told the BBC in an interview on Friday. 鈥淎s I said, life is precious. I don鈥檛 know how much longer my father has. You know, he won鈥檛 speak to me because of this security stuff.鈥
This 鈥渟ecurity stuff鈥 is a nod to the catalyst for Harry being interviewed by Britain鈥檚 public broadcaster in the first place: Hours earlier, he鈥檇 learned that he鈥檇 lost his appeal to have the same level of security the other royals get if he and his wife and children are ever in the U.K.
While he鈥檚 still entitled to publicly funded police security if he鈥檚 ever in the kingdom where he was once third in line to rule, Harry lost the next-level protection he once enjoyed when he and Meghan decided to step down from their jobs as working royals and move to the U.S. in 2020 to pursue a life of philanthropy, no-holds-barred-memoir-writing (for him) and podcasts, Netflix lifestyle show and flower confetti entrepreneurship for her.
Conspiracy theories
Harry has long maintained that this loss of security is both unfair and dangerous, a point he iterated and escalated to conspiracy level in this BBC interview.
鈥淚 have had it described to me once by people who knew about the facts that this is an old fashioned, good old fashioned establishment stitch-up, and that鈥檚 what it feels like,鈥 he told the BBC of the court鈥檚 decision to deny him this protection.
鈥淭here is a lot of control and ability in my father鈥檚 hands. Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through him,鈥 he added, saying his father didn鈥檛 necessarily need to intervene but 鈥渟tep aside鈥 by allowing RAVEC, the committee that makes these decisions about security for royals and public figures, to conduct a risk assessment.
Is Prince Charles standing in the way of Harry鈥檚 security requests?
This hasn鈥檛 happened, and Harry seems to insinuate that it is because his father is deliberately blocking it in an attempt to force him back into working royal life out of fear. It鈥檚 something he expanded on in a written statement he made on Friday as well.
鈥淭his legal action has been a last resort, but one that has uncovered shocking truths, starting with the fact that the Royal Household are key decision makers on RAVEC, and my sole representation for matters regarding my safety,鈥 the statement says in part. 鈥淚鈥檝e also learned the names of those involved, many of whom retired immediately after playing their part.鈥
It鈥檚 the same committee, Harry adds, that initially denied his then-girlfriend Meghan Markle security protection in 2017.
He goes on to call this committee鈥檚 ongoing decision not to do a risk assessment for his and his family鈥檚 safety 鈥 which he says, given the threats they receive, including from terrorist groups, would essentially be a no-brainer 鈥 a 鈥渞eckless action that has knowingly put me and my family in harm鈥檚 way.鈥
This also matters, Harry says, because without the level of security he believes he needs he can never bring his family to the U.K.
Harry not likely to bring his family to the U.K.聽
鈥淚 can鈥檛 see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point. And the things that they are going to miss is, well, everything,鈥 he says. 鈥淵ou know, I love my country. I always have done. Despite what some people in that country have done. So, you know, I miss the U.K. I miss parts of the U.K. Of course I do. And I think that it鈥檚 really quite sad that I won鈥檛 be able to show my children my homeland.鈥
It is also, he says, the greatest hurdle against him ever reconciling with his family.
鈥淭his current situation that has been now ongoing for five years with regard to human life and safety is the sticking point. It is the only thing that鈥檚 left. Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course they will never forgive me for lots of things,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 would love reconciliation with my family. I鈥檝e always, you know, there鈥檚 no point in continuing to fight anymore.鈥
鈥業 don鈥檛 know how much longer my father has鈥
Here, he lobs in a bit of a headline-making grenade, by saying, 鈥淟ife is precious. I don鈥檛 know how much longer my father has,鈥 which telegraphs as less a platitude than a sort of dark hint when the world knows that the King has been receiving for a year now.
Until they fess up to their part in denying him the security he believes he is entitled to, however, Harry doesn鈥檛 see a path forward until they put the 鈥渢ruth鈥 in the kind of truth and reconciliation process he says he learned about while working with Canadian Indigenous communities for this winter鈥檚 Invictus Games in Whistler.
鈥淚鈥檝e now found out the truth. I鈥檝e shared some of it with you today. A lot of it exists out there whether people choose to ignore it or not,鈥 Harry concluded. 鈥淚t would be nice to have that reconciliation part now. If they don鈥檛 want that, that鈥檚 entirely up to them.鈥
And while we almost certainly will never hear directly from any of those family members 鈥 out in force today for a ceremony marking V.E. Day 鈥 Buckingham Palace itself has issued a statement on the ruling.
鈥淎ll of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion,鈥 their spokesperson told The Sun tabloid.
