King Charles III is reportedly "frustrated and upset" with Prince Harry's conduct in the ongoing dispute over taxpayer-funded security, following the Duke of Sussex's public remarks that his father has refused to speak to him "because of this security stuff." The royal friction resurfaced after Harry lost his appeal last week to reinstate full police protection during visits to the United Kingdom.
The tension between father and son escalated when Harry gave a televised interview to the BBC on Friday, shortly after the Court of Appeal rejected his case. During the segment, Harry said, "I asked him to step out of the way and let the experts do their jobs," referring to King Charles and the legal proceedings. "He won't speak to me because of this security stuff," Harry added.
A source described as a friend of the King told The Sun, "What has frustrated and upset him on a more personal level is the Duke's failure to respect this principle - and for his supporters to suggest that somehow his father doesn't care about his family, or should step in, click his fingers, and demand a form of protection that the leading national experts on protection may or may not consider necessary on any given visit."
The insider said Charles believed it would be "constitutionally improper" to interfere in the legal case, which concerned decisions made by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures. The friend added, "He has been particularly concerned it has taken considerable resources and cost for the Government to defend their position."
Buckingham Palace issued a rare public response Friday evening, stating: "All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion."
In his own written statement provided to The New York Post, Prince Harry said: "This process has only ever been about ensuring my safety and that of my immediate family when we are in in the United Kingdom, so that we may safely visit my home country with the same level of security that other governments deem necessary for our protection."
The Duke continued: "I attempted to resolve this issue privately, even offering to independently cover the costs of necessary and effective police protection in order to keep me and my family safe."
He added, "I remain committed to a life of public service. This has been and will always be, my life's work, and when you strip away the noise, you'll be able to hear, all I've been asking for is safety."
In the BBC interview, Harry said he hopes for reconciliation with his family. "There's no point continuing to fight anymore, life is precious," he said. Still, he noted, "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."
Harry also stated he does not foresee bringing Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to the U.K. in the near future. "I can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point," he said. "And the things that they're gonna miss is, well, everything."
