Prince Harry's recent BBC interview has triggered a new wave of backlash from royal insiders and commentators, with some warning he may "never speak to his father again." The fallout from the 30-minute televised appearance, during which the Duke of Sussex commented on King Charles's health and ongoing security disputes, has reportedly hardened palace attitudes and extinguished remaining hopes of reconciliation.
"It was an absolutely foolish thing to say," Charlotte Griffiths, Editor-at-Large at the Mail on Sunday, told GB News. "It would have really upset the King and everyone at the Palace. It's the surest way to not speak to his father again."
In the interview aired last Friday, Harry, 40, said: "There's no point continuing to fight any more. Life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has. It would be nice to reconcile." The remarks came just hours after he lost a Court of Appeal challenge over his downgraded UK security, a matter that has remained central to his estrangement from the Royal Family.
Critics, however, saw the timing and content of the interview as highly damaging. "It is game over," said former GB News host Mark Dolan. "Prince Harry... has reached the end of the road with his own father. If you thought the Oprah interview was bad, this is the final nail in the coffin."
Dolan said the King was "apoplectic with rage" and described Harry as "the world's least happy millionaire." The Prince suggested during the interview that decisions over his taxpayer-funded security had been used by the Royal Household as leverage to deter him from stepping back from royal duties.
Griffiths compared Harry's media strategy to that of Meghan Markle's estranged father, Thomas Markle. "The irony is, if you remember Thomas Markle, when he couldn't get hold of Meghan he started doing interviews every six months," she said. "I think the same could happen with Prince Harry."
Harry, she warned, appears "completely lost touch with reality." She added: "If he thinks getting in touch with his father is possible by speaking in a BBC interview... he's kind of lost the plot, I'm afraid."
Buckingham Palace responded with a blunt statement, reiterating the legal clarity surrounding the security issue. "All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion," the statement read.
Palace sources said King Charles and Queen Camilla are preparing for VE Day commemorations and view Harry's media appearance as an unwelcome distraction. "We're going to have the full roster of royals at the Palace and unfortunately, we're talking about this interview," Griffiths said.
Another source close to the monarch added: "The King is a kind man with a warm heart... he is reportedly furious about what happened and sees no way back with Harry."
