The extent of Prince Harry and King Charles' estranged relationship is so deep that the monarch is blanking his son's calls, a new report in People has revealed.
The pair have not seen each other since February, when Harry made a fleeting visit to the UK to see his father after the King's cancer diagnosis was made public. And despite a positive meeting between the two, their relationship and communication have since deteriorated.
"He gets 'unavailable right now,'" a friend of Harry's told People. "His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King's health, but those calls go unanswered too."
Buckingham Palace refused to comment when asked by HELLO! about Harry and Charles' private contact.
© GettyDuring that whirlwind trip, Harry, 39, did not meet up with his older brother Prince William, 42, either. And when he again returned to London for the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games in May, Harry did not see William or Charles.
At the time, the Duke of Sussex's spokesperson attributed the King's "full schedule" to the lack of interaction. Charles was hosting a garden party at Buckingham Palace just a few miles from St Paul's Cathedral, where Harry was attending the Invictus ceremony.
Harry's security issue
But sources close to Harry hinted at a deeper issue, according to People. He had apparently wanted to discuss his ongoing battle with security, which he has been fighting for in court for over four years and believes his father, as King, has power to reinstate.
"Harry is frightened and feels the only person who can do anything about it is his father," a royal insider told People.
The security issue has gone from frustration to "complete silence" from the King, claims Harry's friend.
A palace source, however, stated the notion that Harry's security is in Charles's hands is "wholly incorrect." Constitutionally, the King has no governmental power in the UK, and the power to bestow police protection lies with the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC), which operates on behalf of the UK government.
Fears for his wife Meghan
While some close to the palace argue that Harry and his wife Meghan Markle's public remarks about their rift with the royal family have created an even greater chasm, others close to the Sussexes argue that if they had proper security, they wouldn't need to speak publicly in order to help pay for it.
In an ITV documentary that aired last week, Tabloids on Trial, Harry voiced his fears that negative press could provoke an attack on his wife and children.
Explaining why Meghan will not step foot on his home soil until their security issue is resolved, Harry said: "All it takes is one lone actor, one person who read this stuff, to act on what they have read, and whether that is a knife or acid… they are genuine concerns for me, they are one of the reasons I won't bring my wife back to this country."
© ITVHis comments come almost two years after Neil Basu, the outgoing assistant commissioner of specialist operations at Scotland Yard, told a Channel 4 documentary that "disgusting and very real" threats had been levelled against the pair.
"If you'd seen the stuff that was written and you were receiving it, the kind of rhetoric that's online... you would feel under threat all of the time," said Neil, who was in charge of royal protection before the Sussexes left the UK. "We had teams investigating it. People have been prosecuted for those threats."
A royal reconciliation
The question of whether Harry will ever reconcile with his father Charles and his older brother William comes up time and time again. One upcoming key event that has a question mark over it is the Invictus Games 2027, which are being held in Birmingham.
Given the UK-based location, will a royal reunion be on the cards? Speaking on HELLO!'s A Right Royal Podcast, Ailsa Anderson, the late Queen's former communications and press secretary, said: "Should there be? This is Prince Harry's baby. I have to say, I think he's done an extraordinary job with it.
"If another member of the royal family turns up, it's not going to be about the Invictus Games. It's going to be about the body language with Harry and whoever it is, it's going to be speculation. Not about the injured servicemen and women. It's about something completely different.
"We've seen anything can happen in a very short space of time. In the last six months we've seen that play out. So we've got three years to go. There could be a lot of water under the bridge by then. It could be a great vehicle for them to build bridges again."
