The Duke of Sussex’s brief family reunion with King Charles at Highgrove earlier this month was supposed to be a quiet moment of reconciliation. Instead, it was overshadowed by reports that an offer to stay at Buckingham Palace had been “withdrawn at the last moment”, with Buckingham Palace indicating that “the appropriate hospitality and staffing provisions were no longer available”. The decision, according to sources, meant Meghan and the couple’s children were forced to pull out of their planned visit, only able to join later after flying in from Europe.
Now, Prince Harry is reportedly determined to renew his campaign for taxpayer-funded security in the UK – a move he believes would allow him to visit more often with his family, including Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who have hardly visited since the Sussexes moved to the US in 2020. The Duke lost an appeal last year over his High Court claim against the Home Office, after the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) decided he should receive a reduced degree of security in the country.
“Prince Harry determined to pursue taxpayer-funded security after family reunion at Highgrove”
Queen Camilla’s presence at the Highgrove gathering was described as “very significant” by royal biographer Robert Jobson. Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive podcast, Jobson said: “The one thing that I think is very significant in all of this, given that Harry was not overly critical of the King, but he was very critical of Queen Camilla, was that she was there to support the King because she was also there to witness what was said. And so they are covering each other there because, you know, Meghan and Harry have got a tendency really to have, you know, get - try and get what they want and what they need.” Relations between Harry, 41, and his stepmother have long been strained, with the Duke having previously called her “dangerous” and a “villain”. No photographs were released from the private meeting, which marked the first time Harry’s children had seen their grandfather since the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
The Duke has previously argued that his children cannot “feel at home” in the UK if it is “not possible to keep them safe” there, and that he has been “singled out” for “inferior treatment” with his safety “at stake”. The Home Office, legally responsible for Ravec’s decisions, opposed his appeal, with lawyers telling the court the decision was taken in a “unique set of circumstances” and there was “no proper basis” for challenging it. A source close to Harry told The Times: “This is not the first time it has not been plain sailing with correspondence or trying to make things work. It all comes back to security. If that was resolved, there would be so much more certainty every time he comes - or they come.”
The Mirror reports that Harry will lobby the Home Secretary for security, and he is looking to arrange further meetings with the King. The visit was Meghan’s first trip to the UK in four years, though security concerns meant she felt unable to accompany him on public engagements. Harry currently makes his own security arrangements when visiting. He will return next year for the Invictus Games in Birmingham and is said to be hopeful that his family will be able to join him – but only if the security question is resolved.