Row over claims Prince Harry wants his father the King to invite him and family to Sandringham when they visit Britain this summer
Friends of Prince Harry yesterday claimed the King wanted him to invite his family to stay in Norfolk this summer so he could see his grandchildren.
They say the Duke of Sussex wants to mend family rift by spending time with his father at his private estate in Sandringham this July.
But sources close to the monarch told the Daily Mail last night that the ‘low trust and bitter experience’ of a series of leaks and ‘Team Sussex’ media briefings in recent years was a significant challenge in making any progress in restoring family harmony.
A friend of the king said: ‘If Harry really wants to see his father he would do well to encourage his supporters to allow such matters to be discussed privately, as low trust and bitter experience on this issue remain one of the main obstacles to progress.’
Harry, 41, has only seen his father twice in two years following his acrimonious departure from the UK amid a series of attacks on his family, including tell-all interviews and his memoir Spare.
But Harry is apparently hoping he, Meghan and their children will be invited to spend ‘some family time’ at Sandringham when he returns to the UK in July.
It’s been almost four years since Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, aged six and four, saw their grandfather as they traveled from their home in California to Britain to celebrate the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Meghan last visited in 2022 when the late Queen died.
Prince Harry was photographed with Meghan Markle and their children Archie and Lilibet in December. The King asked him to invite his family to stay in Norfolk this summer, friends claimed yesterday
In the photo taken on Friday, sources close to Charles said ‘low confidence and bitter experience’ with a series of leaks from ‘Team Sussex’ were a significant challenge in making progress
“Those close to Harry” say he would “welcome an invitation to Sandringham” when he flies to Britain this summer to attend events linked to the Invictus Games, the Sunday Times reported.
In particular, the Prince and Princess of Wales (who he strictly stays away from) also spend most of their holidays at Sandringham, where they have a country house called Anmer Hall.
Harry is currently awaiting a decision on what security provision he and his family are entitled to in Britain.
When Harry chose to leave the royal staff and move to North America in 2020, taxpayer-funded Metropolitan Police guards were put on 24-hour duty.
He is offered armed police guards on a case-by-case basis; This depends partly on whether you are in the UK for family or private and business purposes.
He has made it clear that he is unhappy with the arrangements, repeatedly saying he feels it is not ‘safe’ to bring his family to the UK unless he is provided with 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 to be carried out on his family, but claimed this had not been done for some time.
Sources close to Harry had previously informed the media that a response from the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), which will make the final decision on what level of police protection he should have, would be due by the end of January, and Harry was confident it would rule in his favour.
No decision has been made yet.
The Sunday Times reported that ‘a friend of Harry’s’ said: ‘If he had been invited by the King he would have received a security suite that would have been activated automatically. He would like to be invited to Sandringham. Was he going to leave? It depended on who was there.
‘The king would be very happy if he said, ‘Come and spend some time with the family.’
‘There are many scenarios that could make this work, but not all of them are in Harry’s hands. ‘No father wants to put his children at risk.’
However, the Daily Mail understands that Harry and his family will not automatically have enhanced security protection for a private family visit.
Charles and Harry photographed with Prince William, Princess Catherine and Meghan Markle in 2018. Meghan last visited in 2022 when the late Queen died.
Harry is apparently hoping he, Meghan and their children will be invited to spend ‘some family time’ at Sandringham in July (Image: Harry and Meghan, 2024)
When the prince travels to England on business, he is accompanied by his own unarmed security team, which includes former Metropolitan Police officers he funds.
He is only entitled to publicly funded security when he attends 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.
People with knowledge of the situation have questioned the apparently well-sourced quotes from ‘Team Sussex’ published over the weekend, given that the vetting is currently ongoing.
Sources close to the King have long made it clear that he will not intervene in internal discussions about his son’s security because it would not be constitutional.
A source familiar with the Ravec process commented: ‘As part of the review, the Government is consulting a wide range of stakeholders, including the Duke, and will reach a fair and appropriate decision on that basis.’
