Prince Harry ‘played the wrong card’ for family reconciliation, says former royal bodyguard

A former security officer for the Royal Family says Prince Harry “has really played the wrong card” and should show some humility if he wants to reconcile with his father King Charles III.

Ken Wharfe who was a royal protection officer to Harry, Prince William and their mother, Princess Diana, made the comments after the Duke of Sussex lost a legal challenge over his UK security.

Wharfe believes Harry can’t expect the same “all-singing-and-dancing protection” he enjoyed as a working royal — especially now that his visits to the UK are infrequent and private.

Talking to PA News the freelance security expert said he couldn’t see how Harry could expect to get full protection when he arrived back in the UK, when he is no longer a member of the Royal Family, and knows that the state security package comes at the British taxpayers’ expense.

“The High Court has seen that. The appeal court has seen it. The government has seen it. The police have seen it – so where’s the problem?” he said.

Now Prince Harry has called for the Home Secretary to review the body that authorises protection for senior royals after he lost the Court of Appeal challenge last week.

But Wharfe says Harry should show some “humility” if he wants to try and improve his security with the government and police, and begin reconciling with the Royal Family.

However the Prince told the BBC he can only come to the UK safely if he is invited, and King Charles could help resolve the situation by “stepping aside and allowing the experts to do what is necessary”.

“I have had it described to me … that this is a good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up, and that is what it feels like,” he said.

Harry’s claim that he’s the victim of a “stitch-up” after losing his legal challenge over his UK security is “really offensive”, according to Wharfe.

“If a reconciliation is part of what he wants, then this is hardly the way to go about reconciling the differences that exist within your family,” Wharfe said.

Prince Harry lost his legal challenge to changes to his security arrangements made by the United Kingdom government following his decision to step down from royal duties with his wife Meghan Markle.

Harry had sought to overturn a decision by the Home Office – the ministry responsible for policing – which decided in February 2020 that he would not automatically receive personal police security while in the UK.

Last year, the High Court in London ruled the decision was lawful and that decision was upheld by three senior Court of Appeal judges.

The Court of Appeal ruled unanimously that a committee had not treated Harry unfairly when it decided to review his protection on a case-by-case basis each time he visits the UK.

The ruling is likely to leave the Duke of Sussex with a large bill to pay the UK government’s legal fees – in addition to his own lawyers’ costs.

It was not immediately clear if he would try to appeal to the UK Supreme Court.

– with PA.