Last week, ITV’s Tabloids on Trial documentary aired, and it included an exclusive interview with Prince Harry. He spoke of how his tabloid lawsuits are connected to his fight for security in the UK, which is all connected to his relationship to his father and the institution of the monarchy. As in, the Windsors hate Harry’s crusade against the tabloids, because the Windsors feel that they need the tabloids on their side and the Windsors and the tabloids see each other as partners most of the time. Meaning, Harry’s lawsuits disturb the “delicate balance” of shenanigans and cooperation between the monarchy and media, and that is one of the biggest reasons why the Windsors AND the British media have spent years targeting the Sussexes. It goes even further than that – Byline’s reporting on this situation was very accurate, especially in regards to Christian Jones, the leaks to Dan Wootton and the nervousness within Charles’s camp.
What’s been interesting to watch this week is that the Sussex camp is really pushing back on the palace’s attempted “woe is me, Harry won’t bring his kids to the UK” narrative. Camp Sussex is driving this point home: Charles is a dogsh-t father and a liar. They’ve even got Tom Sykes at the Daily Beast writing exclusives with lots of Sussex-Camp-sourcing. Some highlights:
Harry’s holding pattern with RAVEC: Currently, to obtain security, Harry is required, like any other high-profile visitor seeking police protection, to give 28 days notice to the British security forces of his intention to visit the U.K., list locations he intends to visit, and present a detailed itinerary of his plans. He can use private security but private guards cannot be armed. He has offered to pay for the cost of police protection, but the offer was rebuffed by the British government, which said the police are not available for private hire. He took the matter to court and has repeatedly lost his cases, costing him in excess of a million dollars, but he has been granted one final appeal which will be heard later this year.
Charles is gaslighting the public: A royal source this week told The Daily Beast the current set-up suited the royals “down to the ground” as it prevented Harry from making regular visits—and setting up a rival royal court in the U.K. Harry’s camp accuse Charles’ team of gaslighting the public by saying on one hand that the king loves his son and wants to see more of him and his children, while at the same time denying him the police protection that would make such visits possible on a regular basis.
The Frogmore eviction: The source said: “The evidence is there, clearly, for everyone to see. He has been kicked out of the home that would have made it possible for him to come back on a regular basis.”
But America’s gun violence!! However, a source in Charles’ camp, apparently referring to the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, questioned “how the U.K. presents more of a threat to the duke’s security than the U.S., where even the best-protected individual in the land can still find themselves subject to attack from individuals using weapons that can be acquired over the counter.” But Harry’s ally told The Daily Beast: “The threat is very real. He needs protection. The idea that the security forces wouldn’t allow anything to happen is a very glib dismissal of the reality of the threat the family faces.”
Charles’s “woe is me” campaign: The source dismissed allegations made by friends of the king to The Daily Beast this week that Harry was using his kids to “emotionally blackmail” the king into intervening with RAVEC. The source said, “Why would he bring his wife and children back to the U.K. if they are not going to be protected? The duke needs protection, they need protection. The threat level hasn’t changed since he stepped back from the royal family, if anything it has got worse because of the tabloid campaign against him and his wife.” Asked why they thought Harry was being denied protection, which has the effect of restricting his ability to visit the UK, the source said: “It’s about control.”
Whether Charles could conceivably intervene: The Sussex source said: “The fact that there is even any debate around (Harry’s) security is unbelievable when you look at the situation. The late queen made it really clear [at the Sandringham summit] that she wanted him and his family protected. She intervened to allow Andrew to keep his protection. Why is it impossible for his dad not to do the same for Harry? If the king wanted, he could do this for his son.”
Not only did QEII intervene with RAVEC to ensure that Andrew kept his security, she picked up the costs herself. Guess what happened when QEII died? Charles assumed the same arrangement with Andrew, and since 2022, Andrew has received royal protection, the costs of which are assumed by the Duchy of Lancaster (the monarch’s “private funds”). And the Sussex source is 100% correct – this is about control. This is Charles and Camilla doing all they can to stop Harry from coming and going from the UK whenever he wants. This is about controlling Harry’s movements in and out of the country, but also controlling his movements within the country, and always having the option of leaking his location and itinerary to put Harry in mortal danger.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.