“If there were anxieties about things remaining private, then Friday will not have done them the power of good,” one source told this newspaper.
Palace insiders are also incredulous that the Duke went so far as to accuse the Court of Appeal and the Government of a “stitch-up”.
Such a blistering attack from the King’s son left palace courtiers horrified. One questioned how he could possibly think that such inflammatory comments would help to build bridges.
A palace insider added that Prince Harry’s latest outburst showed there is “nothing that can be trusted to remain private” and “as for their being no contact, well, he has just proven why, yet again”.
‘A curious way to offer olive branches’
One royal source told ITV News: “For a son who claims to want a family reconciliation, it’s certainly a very curious way to build bridges or offer olive branches.”
“His beloved grandmother would have been truly horrified”, added one royal source. “The King is a kind man with a warm heart and quite enough on his plate to deal with, without all this from his son.”
Prince Harry said after losing his appeal against the Government over security that he wanted to reconcile with his family, but said the King “won’t speak to me”.
The Duke alleged that the Royal Household had exploited the issue of security “to imprison” members of the Royal family, blocking them “from being able to choose a different life”, describing the court ruling as “a good old-fashioned establishment stitch up”.
In a statement, he further claimed he had also “learned the names of all those involved, many of whom retired immediately after playing their part”.
Buckingham Palace took the rare step of issuing a statement in response to the Duke’s comments on Friday (local time), illustrating the strength of feeling.
A spokesperson said: “All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.”
A royal source added in response to the Duke’s claim that there was “a lot of power and control” in the King’s hands: “It would have been constitutionally improper for His Majesty to intervene while this matter was being considered by the Government and reviewed by the Courts.”
Speaking after losing his appeal against the Government over his security arrangements when visiting the UK, Prince Harry said he wanted to put an end to the long running rift with his family.
He told the BBC: “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight any more… I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.”
But one royal commentator has said a “dignified silence” would have been a wiser move for the Duke of Sussex if he was truly seeking a reconciliation with the royal family.
Joe Little, Majesty Magazine‘s managing editor, said he found Prince Harry’s comments about the health of the King “quite alarming”.
He said: “From what Harry is saying, despite admitting that he has not spoken to his father for some time, I thought it sent out a bit of a mixed message, really.
“Is Harry suggesting that the King isn’t as well as we are led to believe?”
Little described the overall situation as “a very unfortunate state of affairs”, adding: “I think for somebody who is seeking reconciliation with his father, his brother and his family, his royal family as a whole, I think the very last thing that he should have been doing was talking publicly.
“He clearly feels aggrieved at the outcome of this legal action, but there is a great deal to be gained by maintaining a dignified silence — sadly, as we know from past events, this isn’t Harry’s way of doing things.”
