Friends of Prince Harry yesterday claimed that he wants the King to invite his family to stay in Norfolk this summer so he can see his grandchildren.
They say the Duke of Sussex wants to repair the family rift by spending time with his father on his private Sandringham estate this July.
But sources close to the monarch told the Daily Mail last night that ‘low trust and bitter experience’ over a string of leaks and media briefings from ‘Team Sussex’ in recent years were a significant difficulty in making any progress in restoring family harmony.
A friend of the King said: ‘If Harry truly wishes to see his father, he would do well to encourage his supporters to allow such matters to be discussed privately, since low trust and bitter experience in this regard remains one of the principal barriers to progress.’
Harry, 41, has seen his father only twice in two years following his acrimonious departure from the UK, amid a string of attacks on his family, including tell-all interviews and his memoir, Spare.
However Harry apparently hopes he, Meghan and their children will be invited to spend ‘some family time’ at Sandringham in July, when he is set to return to the UK.
It is nearly four years since Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, six and four, saw their grandfather, when they travelled to Britain from their home in California for the last Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Meghan last visited later in 2022, when the late Queen died.
Prince Harry pictured with Meghan Markle and children Archie and Lilibet in December. Friends yesterday claimed he wants the King to invite his family to stay in Norfolk this summer
Sources close to Charles, pictured on Friday, said ‘low trust and bitter experience’ over a string of leaks from ‘Team Sussex’ were a significant difficulty in making progress
Now the Sunday Times reports ‘those close to Harry’ say he ‘would welcome an invitation to Sandringham’ this summer when he flies to Britain to attend events connected with his Invictus Games.
Notably the Prince and Princess of Wales – from whom he remains firmly estranged – also spend much of their holidays at Sandringham, where they have a country home, Anmer Hall.
Harry is currently waiting for a decision on what security provision he and his family are entitled to in Britain.
They were stripped of round-the-clock taxpayer-funded Metropolitan Police bodyguards when Harry chose to step down as a working royal in 2020 and move to North America.
He is offered armed police bodyguards on a case-by-case basis, which in part depends on whether he is in Britain for family or private and commercial purposes.
He has made clear that he is not happy with the arrangements, repeatedly saying he does not feel it is ‘safe’ to bring his family to Britain unless he is given full-time armed police protection.
After losing a legal battle with the Government over the issue last year, Harry wrote to the Home Secretary asking for a full risk assessment on his family, which he maintained had not been done for some time.
Sources close to Harry had previously briefed media that an answer from the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), which makes the final decision on what level of police protection he should have, was due by the end of January – and he was confident it would rule in his favour.
No decision has yet been made.
The Sunday Times reported a ‘friend of Harry’s’ saying: ‘If he 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.
‘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.’
But the Daily Mail understands that Harry and his family would not automatically receive enhanced security protection for a private family visit.
Charles and Harry pictured with Prince William, Princess Catherine and Meghan Markle in 2018. Meghan last visited in 2022, when the late Queen died
Harry apparently hopes he, Meghan and their children will be invited to spend ‘some family time’ at Sandringham in July (Pictured: Harry and Meghan in 2024)
When the prince travels to the UK for work he is accompanied by his own unarmed security team, which includes former Metropolitan Police officers, which he funds himself.
He is entitled to publicly funded security only when attending official events at the monarch’s request or invitation, such as the funeral of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, or the King’s coronation in 2023.
Those with knowledge of the situation have questioned the clearly well-sourced quotes from ‘Team Sussex’ issued at the weekend given that the security review is currently under way.
Sources close to the King have also long made clear that he will not intervene in the internal debate over his son’s security because it would be constitutionally inappropriate.
A source familiar with the Ravec process commented: ‘As part of the review being undertaken, the Government is consulting a wide range of stakeholders, including the duke, and will reach a fair and appropriate decision on that basis.’
