When Prince Harry and Meghan stepped back as working royals in 2020, a government committee decided that Harry would no longer automatically receive the same level of police protection when he visited the UK. Instead, his security would be decided case by case.
Harry challenged the decision in the courts, arguing that it put him and his family at risk. In 2024, the High Court ruled against him. He appealed. On 2 May 2025, the Court of Appeal dismissed his case.
Within hours, Harry gave an extraordinary interview to the BBC from California. He said he was devastated by the ruling and that he could not see a world in which he would bring his wife and children back to the UK under the current arrangements.
Then he spoke about his family. He said he would love reconciliation, and that there was no point in continuing to fight. He said his father would not speak to him because of the security dispute. Referring to the King’s cancer diagnosis, he said he did not know how much longer his father had.
It was one of the most personal interviews Harry had ever given, and it made headlines around the world.
Buckingham Palace responded with a brief statement. It said all of these issues had been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion. There was no direct comment on Harry’s words about his father.
For months, there was no sign of a thaw. Then, in September 2025, during a visit to the UK for charity events, Harry met his father privately at Clarence House in London. It was reported to be their first meeting in well over a year, and it lasted under an hour.
Neither side gave details of what was said. But for many people who had followed the long and painful rift, the image of a car carrying Harry through the gates was a small sign of hope.
Whether that meeting will lead to a lasting reconciliation remains to be seen. But the words Harry spoke that May evening, about wanting his father back, may be the most honest thing he has ever said in public.