The Evolution of Harry's Strained Relationship with the Royal Family: Unraveling the Pathway to this Tension
A hot-headed Prince Harry has spilled the beans about his longing to patch things up with the Royal Family, but claims the King has turned a deaf ear on him.
Harry spilled his guts to the BBC, revealing that the current squabble between them is due to the legal battle over his security in the UK. The prince lost his appeal in the legal battle, but where did things between him and the family go sour?
Here are the critical moments:
January 2020 - The Sussexes dropped a bombshell, announcing they planned to step down as senior members of the Royal Family, split their time between the UK and US.
February 2021 - Harry and Meghan told the Queen they wouldn't return as working members of the family, with Buckingham Palace stating the royals were "saddened by their decision", but they remain "much-loved family members".
March 2021 - The couple sensationally opened up to Oprah Winfrey, revealing that an unnamed royal had expressed concerns about the color of their son's skin.
More on Prince Harry
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- Prince Harry wants 'reconciliation' with Royal Family but says King 'won't speak to me'
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- Prince Harry
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April 2021 - Harry and William were spotted together at Prince Philip's funeral, despite rumors that their relationship is increasingly strained.
May 2021 - The Duke of Sussex accused the Royal Family of "total neglect" in a documentary about mental health. He spoke candidly about the hardships he and Meghan faced due to press harassment.
July 2021 - William and Harry put their differences aside and appeared together again to unveil a statue of their mother on what would have been her 60th birthday.
December 2022 - Prince Harry stated in an episode of their Netflix documentary that there is a "huge level of unconscious bias" in the Royal Family.
January 2023 - "I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back," Prince Harry told ITV's Tom Bradby. He also criticized the palace's failure to defend him and Meghan, stating "silence is betrayal". Harry also accused unnamed royals of "getting in bed with the devil" over their links with the tabloids.
Harry also revealed that he has no plans to harm or hurt his brother or King Charles with his book Spare, which was released in the same month. Among the book's claims is that the King told Harry and Meghan not to go to Balmoral after the Queen's death - and that the brothers had urged the King not to marry Camilla.
In a US interview during the same month, Harry shared that he was "stunned" the Royal Family allowed his security to be taken away - "especially at the most vulnerable point for us". He admitted some of the responsibility for the breakdown of his relationship with William was "without question" his, but he insisted he's tried hard to mend things in private.
March 2023 - Prince Harry claimed the Royal Family withheld information from him about phone hacking because it would "open a can of worms". He made the allegation in a written statement as part of his case against newspaper publishers.
February 2024 - The Duke of Sussex visited his father after the King revealed he had cancer, spending 45 minutes with him at Clarence House. He broke his silence on the diagnosis later in the month, suggesting it could lead to their reconciliation, and expressing his love for his family.
April 2024 - Harry lost his initial bid to appeal against a court ruling over his security in the UK. His lawyers argued that he was "singled out" and treated "less favorably" in the decision to remove the protection.
May 2024 - Harry was back in the UK for an Invictus Games event, but the duke's spokesperson said the King was too busy to see Prince Harry.
June 2024 - Prince Harry got the green light to appeal over the decision to remove his security.
May 2025 - The duke ultimately lost the long-running case.
The appeal court said Harry’s arguments were "powerful and moving" but "do not translate into a legal argument". Harry then released a lengthy statement attacking the "secretive" RAVEC committee that made the decision to remove his security, calling it a "reckless action knowingly putting me and my family in harm's way" and claiming it "all comes from the same institutions that preyed upon my mother".
- The Sussexes' decision to step down as senior members of the Royal Family in January 2020 marked a significant turn in the family dynamics.
- Despite the rift, Prince Harry expressed a desire for reconciliation with the Royal Family, but claimed the King has refused to speak to him.
- In 2025, the pop-culture scene was abuzz with celebrity relationships and family dramas, with Prince Harry's legal battle over his security being one of the most talked-about topics in entertainment.
- after losing his appeal in the legal battle, Prince Harry remained saddened about the state of his relationships within the family.
- In the same year, Prince Harry's lifestyle choices and personal revelations continued to draw attention in the realm of family-dynamics and celebrity news.
- The ongoing issues between Prince Harry and the Royal Family, leading up to 2025, were heavily influenced by the events and decisions of the previous years, reflecting the complexity of the relationship between the prince and his family in the realm of pop-culture and entertainment.
