Prince Harry and King Charles III have had an estranged relationship that only seems to grow more distant.
Harry— who has been concerned for the safety of his wife, Meghan Markle, and their young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet — has reportedly asked his father, 75, for help regarding reinstating their security detail.
“Harry is frightened and feels the only person who can do anything about it is his father,” a royal insider told PEOPLE. Another source close to the situation added, “Harry is determined to protect his own family at all costs.”
A palace source, however, claimed the idea that the duke’s security lies solely in Charles’ hands is “wholly incorrect.”
From the side of the majesty, royal expert Robert Jobson shared in his new book, Catherine, The Princess of Wales: The Biography, that Charles remains open to restoring his relationship with his youngest son, but the thought of Harry’s funds running dry presents a key concern for him.
Harry had security concerns before officially leaving his royal duties—one of the reasons for their estranged relationship. Now his concerns about protecting his family and financing that protection have heightened, even two years after his attorneys stated the family had “been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats.”
Prince Harry told me one of the reasons he won’t bring his wife Meghan back to UK is because he fears a knife or acid attack – triggered by negative tabloid stories.
He was speaking in our documentary Tabloids on Trial. Catch up on ITVX. pic.twitter.com/imTRnmQI50
— Rebecca Barry (@BeccaBarry) July 26, 2024
“The couple didn’t feel they had a choice,” says a friend. “The only option was to leave — for their sanity. I do think they thought if they got out of this bubble, there would be less focus on them.”
The Invictus Games founder revealed earlier this month that it was “still dangerous” to take his wife back to the UK.
“All it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff, to act on what they have read,” he explained in ITV’s documentary Tabloids on Trial.
“And whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
In 2022, Harry said he “did not feel safe” traveling in the UK without the help of security after he petitioned the UK government to provide additional protections when he and his family traveled to his homeland.
Prince Harry found out his grandmother died through online news, Page Six reports.
“No one from the royal family, nor any courtiers, actually called Harry to tell him of the monarch’s death” pic.twitter.com/lHFAZdkoGA
— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 22, 2022
His desperate pleas for his father to intervene become more reasonable considering that at the Sandringham Summit in January 2020, Prince Harry emerged from the meeting — attended by King Charles, Prince William, Queen Elizabeth, and palace staff — confident that security would remain during his transition out of his royal position, especially after the late Queen deemed the couple’s “effective security” of the utmost importance.
“The Queen made it clear that effective security was necessary due to the threats against them, but somewhere along the line there was interference,” a royal insider alleged.
So, despite a positive meeting between the father and son in February following the King’s cancer diagnosis, their communication has since deteriorated.
Those close to Harry said the monarch no longer takes his son’s calls or responds to his letters.
“He gets ‘unavailable right now,’ ” said a friend of Harry’s. “His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King’s health, but those calls go unanswered too.”