Why King Charles Didn't See Prince Harry During His Lawsuit Visit to U.K.

King Charles III and Britain#039;s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex walk behind the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, adorned with a Royal Standard and the Imperial State Crown and pulled by a Gun Carriage of The King#039;s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, during a procession from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, in London on September 14, 2022 — (Image credit: Getty Images)

On April 9, Prince Harry attended the final day of hearings in the appeal regarding a U.K. court's decision to remove his taxpayer-funded security. According to a royal expert, King Charles didn't meet with his youngest son, Prince Harry, for a very important reason.

Prince Harry's lawyer recently shared that the Duke of Sussex felt "forced to step back" from royal life because of the removal of his security team. Speaking to the Daily Mail's "Palace Confidential" show, royal biographer Robert Hardman opened up about King Charles's decision to not see Harry during his time in London. Hardman explained, "There is legal jeopardy which is the simple fact that here you have the son of The King suing The King's ministers in The King's court and that just creates all sorts of legal problems."

The biographer continued, "It would only need Harry to have a conversation with his father and then afterwards let slip, 'Oh, my dad said this or my dad said that'...That could lead to all sorts of problems. It could actually bring down a court case because The King is the fount of justice. He has got to be very careful."

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Prince Harry wearing a navy suit walking outside court in London on April 9, 2025 — Prince Harry walking outside court in London on April 9, 2025.

Hardman also admitted that, aside from any legal complications, "there may be other reasons why The King doesn't want to see Harry right now." The royal expert explained, "Let's not forget, there is a lot of stress...[Charles] is someone undergoing medical treatment so people are trying to keep the stress levels down, but his legal advice is, you can't have a conversation until all this is sorted out."

King Charles and Queen Camilla greeting Pope Francis at the Vatican — King Charles and Queen Camilla recently visited Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Harry's barrister, Shaheed Fatima KC, previously explained that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "felt forced to step back from the role of full-time official working members of the Royal Family as they considered they were not being protected by the institution."

In court on April 9, Fatima said (via the Mirror), "There is a person sitting behind me whose safety, whose security, and whose life is at stake. There is a person sitting behind me who is being told he is getting a special bespoke process when he knows and has experienced a process that is manifestly inferior in every respect."

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.