Prince Harry’s true emotions on UK return floor after King’s ‘brutal snub’
Prince Harry is set to return to the UK this summer, but it’s been claimed that he has not asked for an invite to Sandringham by his family , despite reports to the contrary
Prince Harry is expected to make another visit back to the UK this summer(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Prince Harry is poised for a prominent return to the UK this summer, but those expecting the overseas trip might spark a royal reconciliation could face disappointment.
While reports have indicated that the Duke was seeking a Sandringham invitation – to guarantee security for Archie and Lilibet – the Mirror reports he has made no such appeal, even as King Charles prepares for a crucial visit to the US.
Harry is expected back in the UK for an occasion commemorating the one year countdown to the Invictus Games, scheduled to occur in Birmingham. The Prince will also be championing the WellChild charity – of which he has long been patron – during his time back on home soil.
King Charles is set to travel to the US for an official state visit, something which has been uncertain given the continuing war of words between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Donald Trump over the UK’s absence from involvement in the Middle East conflict.
Potentially sending the 77-year-old monarch across the Atlantic might help smooth relations between the UK and US once more, with the true state of the so-called “special” relationship under scrutiny for considerable time now.
Nevertheless it’s been reported Charles won’t be meeting with his youngest son and grandchildren Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, while he is in the country. This comes after previous reports suggesting Harry is eager to secure an invite to Sandringham this summer during his weeklong visit. However this might not not the full picture.
Rumours have been rife all week about Harry hoping for an invitation from the King – which if granted – would come with the significant benefit of police security. This would enable him to bring his children to the UK – something he hasn’t done in almost four years. The Prince has stated without security he doesn’t believe it’s safe enough to bring Archie and Lilibet to the UK.
It’s been six years since Prince Harry was abruptly stripped of his police security – and the issue is yet to be fully resolved. Earlier this year, claims emerged the UK committee responsible for allocating taxpayer-funded security – Ravec – was set to rule in his favour following an official risk assessment.
More recently a Home Office source has indicated the government feels “nervous” about restoring Harry’s automatic police protection when he visits British shores. The source stated: “There is nervousness among certain members of the committee who fear a public backlash.”
While the “political” crowd might have their doubts, those more expert in matters of security are taking the complete opposite view, with the source claiming: “Police and security chiefs believe that he absolutely must have it due to the extant threat.”
Without police protection Harry has stated he cannot safely bring his children to the UK – though he has repeatedly expressed his strong desire to introduce them to their British roots.
Presently the duke operates under what has been termed a “bespoke” arrangement – he must provide three months’ notice of any intended visits, with the committee determining on a case-by-case basis whether he receives protection or not.
Should they decide against it, he must depend on a private security team – but he maintains that they lack sufficient access to intelligence, or the appropriate jurisdiction, to ensure his family’s safety. Last year Harry was unsuccessful in a legal battle to restore his security protection and revealed his father King Charles “won’t speak to me because of this security stuff”.
A source speaking to the Sunday Times stated: “If [Harry] was invited by the King, he would get a package of security that automatically kicks in. He’d like an invite to Sandringham. Would he go? It would depend who was there. If the King was to say, ‘Come up and spend some time with the family’, he’d love that.”
The source added: “There is not a world in which he brings the kids back unless there is an enhanced security package around them. If the King wants to see the kids, all he needs to do is invite them over and it can happen.
“It is up to the King, unless Ravec do the right thing independently of the King and decide he requires an enhanced package of security, so he can stay as long as he wants whenever he wants, and see his father with the children. There are lots of scenarios to make it work, but it’s all out of Harry’s hands. No father would want to put their kids at any risk.”
A source familiar with the Ravec’s decision-making processes was quoted also said: “Everyone, presumably including the parents, must be horrified by any suggestion of using the King’s grandchildren as a form of bargaining tool in that process.”
The Mirror reports Harry hasn’t exactly been angling for an invite to spend his summer in Norfolk. In theory he wouldn’t object if the timings were right, but it’s understood he hasn’t requested one. It’s believed since no invitation was sought by the duke, the focus remains on the official risk assessment results. Pundits have already been quick to suggest the Sussex family should not receive such an invitation from the King.
Harry disclosed last year during a chat with the BBC, his father wasn’t communicating with him over the legal battles the Prince had initiated to get his police security reinstated. The father and son haven’t spent much time together in recent years – and relations between Prince William and the Duke of Sussex are reportedly even worse, with the brothers completely estranged.
