Prince Harry has opened up about his hopes of reconciling with his family in an emotional new interview, though royal expert Jennie Bond has revealed why this won’t happen any time soon
Prince Harry’s reconciliation with fellow members of the Royal Family could be “a very long time in coming” after his bombshell BBC interview, a royal expert has said.
After stepping back as senior members of the royal family in January 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to California, where they now live with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Despite rebuilding his life in Montecito, Prince Harry’s relationship with his father King Charles has become increasingly strained over the years, with Harry not seeing his father in person for over a year.
In an emotional new interview, the Duke of Sussex, 40, opened up about his broken relationship with his family and revealed that he hoped for a “reconciliation”, despite claiming that his father “refuses to speak” to him. Speaking to the BBC shortly after he lost a Court of Appeal challenge over his security arrangements while in the UK, Prince Harry described how the decision would impact his life going forward, claiming it would make it “impossible” to safely visit the UK with his family.
Prince Harry’s astonishing ‘dark’ claim connected to Princess Diana’s tragic death
“For the time being, it’s impossible for me to take my family back to the UK safely. I will continue on with a life of public service. So I will always support the charities and the people that mean so much to me,” he said.
The Duke of Sussex also said he did not ask his father to intervene in his battle over his security arrangements in the UK. He continued: “I’ve never asked him to intervene. I’ve asked him to step out. I step out of the way and let the experts do their job.”
In a particularly heartfelt moment, Harry added that he “doesn’t know how much longer my father has,” though he hoped to be reunited with his loved ones. Referring to his bombshell memoir Spare, he continued: “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. But you know, I would love reconciliation with my family. I’ve always, there’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” he explained.
“And I said, life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has he, he won’t speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.” In response to the interview, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told The Mirror how Prince Harry’s “barely controlled emotion” was in stark contrast to how King Charles publicly reached out to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2023.
“Imagine the scene: King Charles, presumably having been told that his younger son had given a TV interview, tunes into the BBC to hear Harry accuse him of ‘not caring’ about his safety. He hears that the establishment, and by implication the royal family, tried to imprison Harry and his wife and children, allowing their security to be downgraded in order to force them to stay in the UK.”
“And he sees Harry talk about ‘some people wanting history to repeat itself’ – a reference, it would seem, to his mother’s security arrangements when she was killed in a car crash,” she said.
“Contrast this with the King’s very first broadcast the day after the late Queen died, in which he made a specific point of expressing his love for Harry and Meghan ‘as they continue to build their lives overseas.'”
Speaking of Prince Harry’s manner in the interview, the expert continued: “The words that Harry used about losing his court case: that he was ‘devastated, gutted and surprised’ could well be the exact words that King Charles might echo about this latest bombshell interview.
“Harry is angry; he was seething with barely controlled emotion throughout his interview. At times he looked as if he might either scream or cry.”
In recent months reports have circulated regarding the state of Prince Harry’s relationship with the King, with it claimed that the Duke remains in the dark about his estranged father’s cancer battle. With Harry shining a light on familial matters in his new interview, Jennie says “we learned a lot” from his latest appearance.
“Father and son are not talking; Harry would like to be reconciled and has “forgiven his father, brother and stepmother” (for exactly what remains unclear), but that he cannot come to the UK with his family with the level of security he believes he needs unless he is invited,” she said.
However, while Harry may be hoping to be welcomed into the royal fold with open arms, the interview might not have been the best way to go about it, argues Jennie. “Dream on Harry. You may be right in feeling that you deserve the same level of security as other people who have quit public life – but this was definitely not the way to forge any reconciliation with the family you were born into,” she explained.
“And that invitation may be a very long time in coming.”
