Prince Harry’s security battle may have left him “close to tears,” but the royal family is said to have little sympathy for his emotional ordeal.
The claim was made by multiple experts who spoke to Fox News Digital after a source told Vanity Fair’s Katie Nicholl that the Duke of Sussex “was devastated and close to tears.”
The U.K. government declined his request for police protection for his family outside royal residences, prompting the prince to return to the U.K. alone on July 6. He is expected to remain there through July 11 for events highlighting the Invictus Games.
PRINCE HARRY’S UK TRIP OFF TO ROCKY START AFTER FIRST MAJOR SETBACK
It is unclear whether he will meet with his father or whether his family will join him later in the week.
“My understanding is that Harry was deeply emotional,” Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube’s “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered,” told Fox News Digital. “[For the royal family], there is exhaustion. The king is frustrated, Prince William is detached, and the broader family has very little appetite for another round of Sussex drama.”
Schofield called William the family’s “biggest realist.”
WATCH: KING CHARLES WENT ‘ABOVE AND BEYOND’ FOR PRINCE HARRY: EXPERT
“He’s the future of the monarchy, so he views every decision through the lens of protecting the institution he will inherit,” she said. “That naturally makes him more cautious than sentimental. He is a good judge of character, and I’m told he no longer recognizes Prince Harry.”
“King Charles still has the instincts of a father. William has increasingly had to think like a future king. Those are very different perspectives, and history suggests heirs are often less willing to take institutional risks than reigning monarchs.”
“William, in particular, seems grateful to be removed from the soap opera,” Schofield said. “His priority is Princess Catherine, their children and protecting the peace of his household. We have seen plenty of the Wales family this week, and they look blissful and carefree. They aren’t giving the Harry drama a second thought.”
Harry’s troubles only deepened after he arrived in the U.K.
On July 7, the Duke of Sussex lost his yearslong privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. The case involved Harry and six other claimants, including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley. The High Court dismissed their claims after finding they failed to prove unlawful information gathering.
Associated Newspapers Limited called the ruling an “overwhelming victory” and a “magnificent vindication.” Harry said the court denied him the justice and accountability he sought. The publisher has long denied the allegations, calling them “preposterous” and maintaining the articles were based on lawful sources, including friends, royal aides and publicists.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that “the debacle” over security and Harry’s “self-inflicted court case” has been “stressful” for the king. Harry has said the litigation became a primary source of his falling out with his father and brother. In pursuing the case, he broke with royal family tradition by taking the dispute to court.
“Members of the royal family don’t file such lawsuits, let alone lose on all counts in a highly public court case that Harry himself chose to file,” she said.
“With everything dismissed, he, along with the other claimants, will now be responsible for court costs. Harry initially being in tears wouldn’t be surprising at all. Everything is of his own doing, which must make it even more painful. He chose to leave royal life.”
“Harry’s emotions are likely to leave the royal family cold,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital.
“His visit has turned into an overhyped mess. … This trip was supposed to have been planned months ago. … We still don’t know whether he will see his father or, if so, where and with whom, but it’s certain to reinforce William’s belief that his approach — ignoring the Sussexes — is the right one.”
The Sussexes lost their taxpayer-funded security after they stepped back as senior working royals. Harry was denied restoration of that security by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC).
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
People magazine previously reported that ahead of Harry’s trip, his team spent several days exploring ways to make the visit safe through enhanced private security arrangements. Palace sources said Harry initially declined an invitation to stay at a royal residence before accepting it on Saturday.
Harry’s spokesperson told People that an offer for the Duke of Sussex to stay at Buckingham Palace during his London visit was withdrawn after he had formally accepted it. Palace sources, however, disputed that account, saying Harry failed to respond by the deadline and that his later acceptance came only after arrangements could no longer be made.
Harry had also hoped to bring his family to Britain for the first time since 2022. But after learning they would receive police protection only while on royal property — and not throughout the visit — it was reported on July 4 that they would not accompany him.
It’s been reported that Harry wants his children to know their British heritage and have a relationship with King Charles, who continues to undergo cancer treatment. In a 2025 BBC interview, he said he hoped to reconcile with his family because “there’s no point continuing to fight anymore.” He also said his father was no longer speaking to him over the ongoing security dispute.
Harry has long argued the British press damaged his relationships, leaving him “paranoid beyond belief.” He blames the media for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, and coverage of Meghan Markle before the couple stepped back as senior working royals in 2020.
“They continue to come after me; they have made my wife’s life an absolute misery,” he testified as he choked back tears in the witness box during the trial in January.
“Constitutionally, the king has no role in this security decision, and Buckingham Palace cannot be seen interfering with government or legal processes,” Schofield said.
“But Harry understands emotional leverage. By tying security to whether his children can visit the U.K. or see their grandfather, he creates a narrative in which the palace appears cold, even though the decision is not the palace’s to make.”
“This visit has likely deepened the rift because it has once again turned a family issue into a public pressure campaign,” Schofield said. “Instead of building trust privately, Harry’s team appears to brief and litigate through the media. That makes reconciliation almost impossible.”
Taxpayer-funded security is determined on a case-by-case basis by RAVEC, Vanity Fair reported. The magazine noted that it is generally provided only to full-time working members of the royal family. A Home Office spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that the government’s position remains unchanged.
“[Harry] had assumed that because he was bringing the children, and the king had made a royal residence available to them, he would get what he had been seeking all along — full-time police protection,” a source told the outlet.
“That has not been the case. The king has made it clear that while he wants to see his estranged son and grandchildren, he will not intervene in security matters.”
As Harry’s rift with the royal family shows little sign of healing, Schofield believes his ongoing security battle has become about more than personal safety.
“I’m told there is frustration that he still wants the freedom of private life with the infrastructure of public duty,” Schofield said. “That is the contradiction at the heart of this entire fight. Harry wants the world to believe he left the institution, but not the importance that came with it.”
