Royal biographer Hugo Vickers claims the Duke of Sussex feels trapped by their controversial decisions and fears the collapse of his marriage.
Prince Harry is still embroiled in a legal battle over securing U.K. protection, which is straining his relationship with King Charles as reconciliation seems unlikely.
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Prince Harry ‘Petrified’ Of Losing Meghan, Royal Expert Claims
In a recent episode of The Sun’s Royal Exclusive podcast, Royal Editor Matt Wilkinson, along with journalist Bronte Coy and royal biographer Hugo Vickers, discussed the state of Harry’s marriage to Meghan and their challenges.
The duo is raising their family in the U.S., free of royal duties, after stepping back from their roles as senior royals in 2020.
Despite maintaining a united front, royal expert Vickers suggested that the pressures of Meghan’s new undertakings, such as her Netflix project “With Love, Meghan,” are taking a toll on Prince Harry.
He also expressed doubts about the long-term success of Meghan’s projects, saying: “It’s just hard to see where it’s going.”
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Turning to Harry, Vickers offered a blunt assessment: “I hate to say it, but my feeling at the end of the day is that Prince Harry is petrified of her and petrified of losing her.”
He added that while Harry has been involved in many of their controversial decisions, there’s a sense that he’s “been made to do many things.”
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King Charles Reportedly Keeps Door Open For Reconciliation With The Duke
During the podcast, journalist Coy said that while no one truly knows the inner workings of the Sussexes’ marriage, it’s not hard to imagine Harry’s fears.
“There are only a small handful of royals and people that have the profile that he has and you have to imagine that if that relationship did fall apart for whatever reason down the line, really where does that leave him?” she said. “You can imagine that he would be scared of that.”
To this, Vickers simply replied: “Well, he has to come home eventually if he can.”
Reflecting on Harry’s recent legal battle over securing protection for his children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, Coy noted that the idea of returning to the UK must feel “scary” for him.
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Still, despite the tensions following Megxit, Vickers believes King Charles, now 76, has made it clear that Harry would be welcomed back.
“The King left the door wide open for him,” Vickers explained. However, he added, “There’s this issue that Prince Harry seems to think the royal family should be apologizing to him, whereas it should be the other way around.”
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Prince Harry’s Security Battle Deepens Rift With King Charles: ‘No Rapprochement,’ Sources Say
Meanwhile, Harry’s lengthy legal battle over his family’s U.K. security has reportedly strained his relationship with his father.
“I don’t think there is any rapprochement,” a palace insider shared with People Magazine. “Things remain unchanged.”
Another source agreed, simply noting, “They are distant.”
Speaking outside London’s Royal Courts of Justice on April 9, the duke stressed that the fight to regain the state-funded protection he lost in 2020 after stepping down from royal duties alongside Meghan has always been about safeguarding his wife and their children.
The Duke Believes His Security Was Downgraded As An Attempt To Keep Him And Meghan In The Royal Family
Harry told the outlet that he felt “exhausted and overwhelmed,” admitting that his “worst fears have been confirmed by the whole legal disclosure in this case — and that’s really sad.”
Sources close to the Duke say he has long believed that stripping away his family’s security following their exit from royal duties was a calculated move to pressure him and Meghan back into the royal institution.
Instead of achieving that aim, Harry saw it as a revealing moment, a clear sign of how far the establishment was willing to go. The realization, he acknowledged, “was difficult to swallow.”
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Prince Harry’s Security Battle Driven By Deeper Feelings Of Betrayal, Says Royal Expert
While Harry awaits the verdict in what he has called his most significant legal fight, royal expert Jennie Bond suggests that his motivations go beyond simply wanting his children to experience their heritage.
Speaking to The Mirror, the former BBC royal correspondent explained: “I think Harry is sincere when he says he wants his children to know and understand their heritage. And he has said publicly that he wants his father and his brother back in his life.”
Bond continued, “But we now also know that this issue of security is like a red rag to a bull for Harry. He says it is more important than any of his other legal battles. He has a deep-rooted sense of injustice – he believes there was some kind of conspiracy to keep him ‘trapped’ within the royal family and to prevent him and his family from leaving the UK. And he seems intent on proving that to be the case.”
She added: “So I don’t think it really is about a burning desire to bring his children and wife to the UK. It is more about his anger at the way he believes he was treated.”
