(NewsNation) — Pity poor Prince Harry. The Montecito Prince, already depressed and humiliated over the Sentebale scandal he is enmeshed in, flew to London over the weekend to give evidence in a court appeal… and was shunned by his father, my insider said.
Harry, in town to challenge the Home Secretary’s ruling that withdrew his right to police protection, flew in on Sunday — the same day King Charles and Queen Camilla left for a royal tour of Italy. However, there was time for the father and son to meet. It just didn’t happen.
“There was a window where King Charles and Harry could have met,” my insider said, “but they didn’t.”
The insider says it was King Charles’ choice not to meet.
King Charles upset over Prince Harry fighting for police protection: Insider
”(King Charles) is very upset over Harry’s insistence on fighting the government for police protection. He feels Harry knew what he signed up for when he and Meghan left the monarchy, but Harry being Harry just can’t accept it.”
Last year, England’s Home Secretary ruled that Prince Harry and his family were not subject to official police protection as they are no longer working members of the royal family.
Harry has appealed the decision and attended court this week as part of the process.
FILE – Meghan Markle and Prince Harry pose for pictures after visiting the observatory in One World Trade in New York, Sept. 23, 2021.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) 
FILE – Britain’s Prince Harry arrives to attend the WellChild Awards ceremony in London, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. The event celebrates inspirational young people living with serious illnesses.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File) 
Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, with their sons William and Harry in Venice, Italy, 5th May 1985. (Photo by John Shelley Collection/Avalon/Getty Images) 
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – AUGUST 15: Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Britain’s Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, visit Delia Zapata Art Center in Bogota, Colombia on August 15, 2024. (Photo by Juancho Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images) 
VANCOUVER, CANADA – NOVEMBER 17: Prince Harry acknowledges fans prior to the start of a TV interview during pre-game festivities before the start of the 2024 Grey Cup at BC Place on November 17, 2024 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) 
VANCOUVER, CANADA – NOVEMBER 18: Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, meets with high school students during the Invictus Games 2025 School Program Launch Event at Seaforth Armoury on November 18, 2024 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Ethan Cairns/Getty Images) 
FILE – Britain’s King Charles III waves as he arrives for a visit to University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File) 
King Charles III hosts a reception at Buckingham Palace, London, with representatives from his military affiliations to thank them for their service, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (Jonathan Brady/Pool photo via AP) 
CAMBERLEY, ENGLAND – APRIL 14: King Charles III inspects the 200th Sovereign’s parade at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on April 14, 2023 in Camberley, England. The parade marks the end of 44 weeks of training for 171 Officer Cadets. It is the first time King Charles III has inspected Sovereign’s Parade at Sandhurst since becoming Monarch. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) 
Britain’s King Charles III smiles during his visit to the Forsinard Flows Visitor Centre in Forsinard, Highland, Scotland, July 31, 2024. (Jane Barlow/Pool Photo via AP, File) 
FILE – Britain’s Prince Charles, right, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wave as they prepare to depart Perth, Australia, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015. King Charles III is preparing to visit Australia and Samoa in October 2024, an itinerary that will span 12 time zones and test the monarch’s stamina as he recovers from cancer treatment. The trip was announced on Sunday, July 14, 2024, by Buckingham Palace. (Paul Kane/Pool via AP, File ) 
FILE – Britain’s King Charles III pauses during the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London on Nov. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool, File)
According to the Times of London, Harry, “who lives in California, claims the lack of the automatic police protection means he does not feel safe to bring his wife, Meghan, 43, and children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, to the UK.”
“Harry can still get protection,” another source scoffed. “He just has to give a month’s notice. It grates on Charles because Harry thinks (Charles) can snap his fingers and get him the security — but he can’t. It’s up to the royal and VIP executive committee (RAVEC) which made up their mind. It looks bad for the family for Harry to challenge this. Not to mention, he has his own private security.”
Prince Harry last saw King Charles in February 2024
“Harry would have liked to see his father — especially after the recent health scare, but…” my first source noted, trailing off.
King Charles was briefly hospitalized two weeks ago after experiencing “temporary” side effects from his cancer treatments, according to reports. While the hospital stay was short, King Charles had to cancel a weekend’s worth of functions while he rested.
Harry last saw his father over a year ago in February 2024 after Charles was first diagnosed with cancer — and even that was brief.
Harry, who had learned about the cancer from the press reports along with the rest of the world, flew into the UK for 24 hours and was only allowed a short meeting with Charles.
The royal family is said to be weary and wary of Harry as they don’t want any more private conversations leaked to the press or weaponized against them. They are also said to be fed up with Harry’s demands and the constant arrows being flung at them by Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle.
King Charles no longer takes Prince Harry’s calls, letters: Source
The tensions are so bad between the King and his son that a source told People magazine last year that Charles no longer takes Harry’s calls or answers his letters.
“He gets ‘unavailable right now,'” a friend of Harry’s told the magazine in July 2024. “His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King’s health, but those calls go unanswered too.”
Harry also raised eyebrows this weekend when he missed the wedding of his close friend Lord Vivian.
Vivian was so close to the prince at one point, he was a member of the “Band of Brothers” who stood side by side with Harry the night before his wedding to Markle.
Prince Harry misses Lord Vivian’s wedding
“Charlie [Lord Vivian] is telling people he has no idea why Harry didn’t attend,” my source said. “Harry was at his first wedding, but not this one.”
Harry and Lord Vivian became friends through Mark Dyer, Harry’s onetime “surrogate father” who was on the board of Sentebale before he — and the rest of the board resigned earlier this month (Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho then left the charity in sympathy and support for the board, prompting the Sentebale chairwoman Sophie Chaundaka to level charges of radical and misogyny against the board and claimed Harry had bullied her).
Dyer was at the wedding along with several other of Harry’s old crew.
When asked why Harry didn’t attend, Lord Vivian told the Daily Mail: “Why (didn’t Harry come)? I don’t know. He has a lot (going) on.”
A rep for Harry didn’t return emails. A rep for Buckingham palace declined comment.
Welcome to “The Scoop” — the ultimate back-to-the-office water cooler cheat sheet, your go-to source for all things everyone really wants to know! Get the latest on everything from the political swamp maneuvering in D.C. and Hollywood drama to jaw-dropping small-town shenanigans from Paula Froelich. Subscribe to her newsletter here.