Prince Harry 'too legally risky' for King Charles to meet amid court battle

A face-to-face between Prince Harry and King Charles during the Duke’s recent UK visit may have been avoided due to “legal jeopardy,” according to royal biographer Robert Hardman.

Harry, 40, was in London last week for a two-day Court of Appeal hearing related to his ongoing legal battle against the Home Office. 

The Duke of Sussex is challenging the 2020 decision by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) to downgrade his publicly funded security after stepping down as a senior royal.

Speaking on the Palace Confidential show, Hardman said the lack of a meeting between father and son wasn’t a personal slight but likely a legal necessity.

“There is legal jeopardy, which is the simple fact that here you have the son of the King suing the King’s ministers in the King’s court, and that just creates all sorts of legal problems,” he explained.

Hardman added: “It would only need Harry to have a conversation with his father and then afterwards let slip, ‘Oh my dad said this or my dad said that,’ and as we know, he does repeat conversations quite readily."

"That could lead to all sorts of problems. It could actually bring down a court case because the King is the fount of justice.”

During the hearing, Harry suggested that the decision to reduce his UK security may have been designed to dissuade him and Meghan Markle from stepping back from royal duties. 

Palace sources have strongly denied the allegation.

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