As Prince Harry continues his battle in the courts over his family’s security in the U.K., King Charles appears to be keeping his distance.
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After the British government downgraded the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s security once they stepped away from their royal duties, Charles doesn’t have a say over how Harry and Meghan are protected, according to one royal watcher.
“The king is in a position where the security and who gets the security is decided by the government, and the government is not the monarch,” Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, told Fox News.
“When Charles was Prince Charles, he could do more, but as monarch, he has to be very careful,” Seward added. “He cannot get involved with government policy. Therefore, probably the easiest way out is to let somebody else deal with Harry.”
“I am sure that somebody talks to Harry, it just may not be his father,” Seward said, author of “My Mother and I: The Inside Story of The King and Our Late Queen.”
“And in a way, that’s probably because his father just doesn’t want to get involved. He hasn’t got time; he hasn’t got the inclination, and he probably hasn’t got the energy for what would be a potentially difficult conversation.”
At issue is Harry’s insistence that his family should have its security reinstated so that returning to the U.K. is more flexible for him, his wife and their two children.
Harry wants to “ensure the safety of himself and his family while in the U.K., so his children can know his home country” as well as his charity work in Britain, a source told People earlier this year.
The ongoing legal case appears to have had an affect on the relationship between father and son.
“It’s been especially tough now for the king,” Seward said. “You’re limited [in] what you can do as monarch.”
Prince Harry lost his case in April, but won the right to appeal the British government’s rejection of his security in June. According to People, the appeal will be heard in the spring of 2025.