Prince Harry has said he does not know how long his cancer-hit father has left to live because the king won’t speak to him.
In a bitter interview with the BBC following a comprehensive legal defeat on his security arrangements, Harry also said he won’t bring his family to the U.K., blamed his father for his security being reduced after leaving the royal family, and said he had “forgiven” those family members who had hurt him.
The prince said he wanted “reconciliation” with the rest of the royal family, but added that could not come about without “truth.”
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He added: “Some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book but I would love reconciliation with my family.”
Appearing emotional, and saying that he felt “let down,” the prince added: “I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.”
Harry said: “I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point, and the things that they’re going to miss is, well, everything. I love my country, I always have done despite what some people in that country have done.
“So I miss the U.K. I miss parts of the U.K. Of course I do, and I think that it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.
“There is a lot of control and ability in my father’s hands. Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through him, not necessarily by intervening, but by stepping aside, allowing the experts to do what is necessary and to carry out [a risk analysis].
“I have had it described to me, once people knew about the facts, as a good old fashioned establishment stitch up, and that’s what it feels like.
“There have been so many disagreements, differences between me and some of my family. This current situation that has been now ongoing for five years, with regard to human life and safety, is the sticking point. It is the only thing that’s left.
“There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. As I said, life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.”
Harry said that spending time with the First Nations in Canada, had showed him the importance of “reconciliation” but added that “reconciliation can’t come without truth.”
He said: “Well, I’ve now found out the truth. I’ve shared some of it with you today. A lot of it exists out there, whether people choose to ignore it or not, so it would be nice to have that reconciliation part. Now, if they don’t want that, that’s entirely up to them.”
There have been hints Harry could record a podcast or write about his battle with his family on the issue of security.
Harry’s legal team argued in court that he had been “singled out” for “inferior treatment” that placed his “safety and life… at stake” after his U.K. security arrangements were downgraded after stepping back from royal duties and relocating to California.
However the government’s position was upheld in the Appeal Court.
A Harry source previously told the Daily Beast that the king and Harry’s relationship had collapsed over Harry’s belief that his father was denying him automatic police protection in the U.K.
A source close to Harry said last year that the two were no longer speaking by phone and laid the blame for the “unbelievable situation” around Harry being denied automatic police security in the U.K. despite a “very real threat” firmly at the feet of the king, adding, “If the king wanted, he could do this for his son.”
However, official sources at Buckingham Palace told the Daily Beast that it would be “wholly inappropriate” for the king to pull rank and attempt to influence the government committee, the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC), which makes decisions about royals’ personal protection. They added that these decisions were now a matter for the courts, as Harry was litigating the matter.
One source mused to the Daily Beast, shortly after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, that it was odd to argue that “the U.K. presents more of a threat to the duke’s security than the U.S., where even the best-protected individual in the land can still find themselves subject to attack from individuals using weapons that can be acquired over the counter.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.”
