“I don’t know how much longer my father has” — Prince Harry urges reconciliation amid deepening royal rift.

LONDON — Prince Harry has made a heartfelt plea to reconcile with his family following a legal defeat over his police protection in the UK — a loss he says widened the divide with his father, King Charles III.

In an emotional interview with the BBC just hours after the court ruling, Harry said, “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. I don’t know how much longer my father has.”

On Friday, the Court of Appeal rejected Harry’s challenge to reinstate his publicly funded security, which had been stripped after he stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and relocated to the U.S. The decision dealt a personal and symbolic blow, particularly as it came amid ongoing tensions with King Charles, who is currently battling cancer.

“He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff,” Harry said, underscoring the strain in their relationship.

The Duke of Sussex argued that the lack of security made it unsafe to return to the UK with his wife Meghan and their two children. He claimed the 2020 decision to cut off protection left his family exposed to real threats — including one from Al-Qaida and a near-catastrophic paparazzi chase in New York.

Harry accused palace officials of playing a key role in the decision and criticized what he sees as a system meant to control him and Meghan.

“What I’m struggling to forgive… is the decision that knowingly put me and my family in harm’s way,” he said.

Despite expressing a desire for peace, Harry showed no signs of backing down from his criticism of the royal establishment.

Buckingham Palace, in a statement after the ruling, emphasized that the case had been thoroughly reviewed and upheld at every level. The court found that Harry’s security could be handled on a case-by-case basis and that his lower level of protection was a natural result of stepping back from royal life — not a legal wrongdoing.

Sir Geoffrey Vos, one of the judges, noted that while Harry’s grievances were heartfelt, they didn’t amount to legal grounds for overturning the decision.

Harry urged UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to revisit the security process and emphasized that, above all, his concern is for his family’s safety.

“Whether you’re the government, the royal household, or my family — despite all our differences — don’t you want to ensure our safety?” he asked.

Harry has been vocal about what he views as institutional failings, both in the monarchy and the British media. His departure from royal life in 2020 came after feeling unprotected by the institution. That year, a Home Office panel concluded there was no basis for ongoing taxpayer-funded security for the couple in the UK.

Harry, now 40, has had a mixed track record in court. He lost a prior case seeking to personally fund police protection in the UK, with officials arguing that public officers shouldn’t serve as bodyguards for private individuals — even royals.

However, he did notch major victories against British tabloids. In 2023, he won a lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mirror over phone hacking. And earlier this year, Rupert Murdoch’s UK newspapers issued a rare apology and paid substantial damages over privacy violations.

Despite the turbulence, Harry says he still loves his homeland and wants his children to know it. But for now, he only returns for funerals and court dates — not the warm family visits he once knew.

Source: AP NEws – Prince Harry seeks family reconciliation after losing a court case that caused a split with his dad

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Prince Harry’s lengthy legal battle with Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper group reached an unexpected conclusion on Wednesday, with the Duke of Sussex settling his case just before his trial was set to begin. The lawsuit, filed against News Group Newspapers (NGN) – the publisher behind The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World – accused the tabloids of unlawful information gathering, including phone hacking and surveillance, between 1996 and 2011.

At a London High Court hearing, David Sherborne, Prince Harry’s barrister, announced that NGN had issued a “full and unequivocal apology” to the duke. The apology acknowledged the serious intrusion into Prince Harry’s private life during the aforementioned years and the unlawful activities conducted by private investigators hired by The Sun. NGN also apologized for the phone hacking, surveillance, and misuse of private information carried out by the journalists and private investigators at News of the World, another publication under the NGN umbrella.

Sherborne read the full apology on behalf of NGN, which also expressed regret for the impact the coverage had on Prince Harry’s life and relationships, as well as on his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. “We acknowledge and apologize for the distress caused to the duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships, and family,” Sherborne said. NGN further agreed to pay Prince Harry substantial damages as part of the settlement. They also acknowledged that their response to the 2006 arrests related to phone hacking was regrettable, though without admitting any illegality.

Alongside Prince Harry, former Labour Party deputy leader Tom Watson, who had also filed a claim, settled his own case. Watson, who was targeted between 2009 and 2011, alleged unlawful information gathering and phone hacking during his investigation into the Murdoch newspapers. His investigation played a key role in the 2011 phone hacking scandal, which led to the closure of News of the World and Murdoch’s public apology for the scandal.

Sherborne confirmed that NGN also apologized to Watson for the “unwarranted intrusion” into his private life during his time in government, specifically during the 2009-2011 period.

The legal proceedings at the London High Court were initially scheduled to start on Tuesday, but were delayed multiple times after requests from both sides’ legal teams.

This surprising settlement brings an end to a chapter of legal actions and media scrutiny for the Duke of Sussex, who has long been outspoken about the media’s treatment of him and his family.

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