Harry and Charles’ deepening rift: Insiders close to the Prince claim King no longer answers his calls amid growing tension over Duke’s security battle
Friends of Prince Harry claimed today that King Charles III is no longer answering his estranged son’s calls or responding to his letters as their rift deepens.
The Duke of Sussex and Charles last saw each other in person in February, when they met for 45 minutes in London after the monarch was diagnosed with cancer.
Sources close to Harry say their communications have since deteriorated amid growing tensions surrounding the duke’s battle for his safety in Britain.
The Duke of Sussex is said to be ‘afraid’ for the safety of his wife Meghan Markle and his children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, and believes the King has the authority to intervene in his ongoing legal case at the Home Office.
Sources told the American magazine People that the issue of safety started as a point of frustration between father and son, but has now developed into ‘complete silence’.
King Charles III and Prince Harry, pictured at the Natural History Museum in December 2019
Prince Harry and Meghan at the 2024 ESPY Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on July 11
A friend of Harry’s said: ‘He is getting “not available now”. His calls are going unanswered. He has tried to get in touch about the King’s health but those calls are also going unanswered.’
Decisions regarding the Duke’s security are taken independently of the King by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royal Families and Public Figures (Ravec), which is part of the Ministry of the Interior.
Harry last visited the UK in May to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, but was unable to meet his father during this recent trip. The duke’s spokesman said at the time that this was due to the king’s “busy schedule”.
In February, Harry, who now lives in Montecito, California, lost his lawsuit in the High Court in London against the British government over his right to state-funded police protection.
He had told the judge he could not bring his children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, to Britain and that he could not “put Meghan at risk in that way”.
Harry was last in Britain to attend an Invictus Games service at St Paul’s Cathedral in May 2024
Harry attended the King’s coronation at Westminster Abbey in May 2023 without Meghan
In May, Harry was granted permission to appeal Ravec’s 2020 decision to the Court of Appeal.
Although there is a member of the King’s staff at Ravec, the King does not have the authority to provide police protection.
Last week it was confirmed that Birmingham would host the Invictus Games in 2027. However, Harry may choose to go without the rest of his family, due to security concerns.
He may also be considering visiting Britain for the funeral of his uncle Lord Robert Fellowes, Queen Elizabeth II’s private secretary, who died on Monday at the age of 82.
Charles and William supported Harry when he launched the Invictus Games ten years ago, attending the opening ceremony and later watching the athletics competitions with him in jubilant mood.
Meghan was last seen in public in the UK almost two years ago, at the late Queen’s funeral in September 2022. She is pictured attending the service with Prince Harry and other royals
Prince Harry may consider visiting Britain for the funeral of his uncle Lord Robert Fellowes (pictured), Queen Elizabeth II’s private secretary, who died on Monday aged 82.
But a lot has changed in the years that followed: in early 2020, Harry stepped down as a working royal to Meghan and moved to the US.
He struggled with a strained relationship with his father and an ongoing rift with his brother, exacerbated by criticisms he leveled at Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and the Princess of Wales in his Netflix documentary and memoir Spare.
Meghan was last seen in public in the UK almost two years ago, at the late Queen’s funeral in September 2022.
Harry celebrated the 10th anniversary of Invictus at a special service at St Paul’s Cathedral in London in May. However, Meghan and his children did not attend, and neither did the King and William.