Prince Harry’s BBC Interview: Quotes and Revelations on Royal Family

Prince Harry made a series of bombshell claims about his relationship with his father, King Charles III, and other members of the royal family in an interview with the BBC. In Touch has the Duke of Sussex’s biggest allegations amid his ongoing battle over security.
Prince Harry Claimed the Royal Family Knowingly Put Him at ‘Risk’ by Taking Away His Security
When Harry and wife Meghan Markle agreed to the terms of the Sandringham agreement upon exiting the royal family in 2020, it meant that they lost their full-time U.K. taxpayer-funded protection detail when in the country. The prince now claims that the move was done in an attempt by Buckingham Palace to get the couple to change their minds about stepping down as senior working royals and return to the royal fold.
“Everybody knew that they were putting us at risk in 2020, and they hoped that me knowing that risk would force us to come back. But then when you realize that didn’t work, do you not want to keep us safe?” Harry claimed in the May 2, 2025, interview about why they still need a security detail despite no longer being working members of the royal family.
“Whether you’re the government, the royal household, whether you’re my dad, my family — despite all of our differences — do you not want to just ensure our safety?” Harry asked.
The claim comes after Harry lost an appeal over his security levels while in the U.K. The duke currently has a bespoke security arrangement for when he is in the country but wants the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) to provide him and his family with the same level of security as active senior working royals.
Buckingham Palace responded to the latest court decision on May 2, 2025, by saying, “All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.”
Prince Harry Doesn’t Know ‘How Much Longer’ King Charles III Has to Live and They’re Not Speaking
Harry hinted at the extent of the distance between himself and his dad by claiming he doesn’t know how much longer his father has to live following his cancer diagnosis in early 2024.
“I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff. But it would be nice to reconcile,” the duke said.
King Charles, Prince William, Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
Prince Harry Wants to Reconcile With His Family
“I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious,” he told the BBC.
The prince has been estranged from his family ever since he and Meghan broke away in 2020, moving to California to seek an independent life.
Tensions were compounded by a bombshell interview Harry and Meghan did with CBS in 2021. The former Suits star accused Princess Kate Middleton of making her cry, claimed the palace “silenced” her and said a royal family member made potentially racist comments about the color of the couple’s son Archie’s skin.
Harry also accused his family of cutting the couple off financially, forcing them to sign megabucks deals with Netflix and Spotify.
“Without that, we wouldn’t have been able to do this,” he said about inking the deals following their move to Montecito, California. “All I wanted was enough money to get security and keep my family safe.”
Prince Harry Claims His Memoir Caused Family Members to Be Unable to ‘Forgive’ Him
After the 2021 interview, Harry laid out more incendiary accusations against his family in his 2023 memoir, Spare.
“Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive me for … lots of things,” the duke claimed.
Harry alleged in the book that his older brother, Prince William, physically attacked him during an argument over Meghan. He also claimed that William encouraged Harry to not move “too fast” in his romance with Meghan and that he was rushing an engagement with the former actress.
Harry also alleged that William and Kate encouraged him to wear a Nazi costume to a 2005 party, while admitting to partying and past drug use.
The royal family never responded to Harry’s memoir allegations.

Prince Harry Can’t Envision Returning to the U.K. With Meghan Markle and Their Children
“I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point,” the duke told the BBC.
The couple welcomed son Archie in May 2019, while they were still working members of the royal family. Daughter Lilibet was born in Santa Barbara, California, in June 2021, after the family was settled into life in the United States.
Prince Harry Says He Won’t Be Able to Show His Children His Homeland Due to Security Issues
“The things that they’re going to miss is, well, everything,” Harry added about his kids not visiting the U.K. “I love my country. I always have done. Despite what some people in that country have done.”
Archie and Lilibet have only been to England once since the family’s move, visiting with the late Queen Elizabeth II during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.
“I miss the U.K., I miss parts of the U.K., of course I do,” Harry added. “I think that it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.”