King Charles wary of 'serious legal jeopardy' amid Prince Harry's court case

The situation arises from Prince Harry's long-running case against the Government regarding the downgrade of his security following his departure from the UK.

Experts worry that Harry's tendency to repeat private conversations, as seen in his memoir "Spare", could potentially embarrass the King if such discussions were to be aired in court.

This complex scenario puts the King in a difficult position, as he navigates the delicate balance between his role as a father and his position as the Head of State.

The legal battle has created a complex situation for the monarchy.

A senior constitutional expert and adviser to the Royal Family told royal biographer Robert Hardman: "Here you have the infelicitous situation where the King's son is suing the King's ministers in the King's courts. That is pulling the King in three directions."

The expert further explained the potential risks: "You also have the situation where the King's son publishes accounts of private conversations, some of which have been, shall we say, wrong."

The expert warned: "So imagine the situation if the prince were to talk to his father about his court case and then later to describe that conversation – or, worse, a conversation which was not entirely accurate.

"There would be serious legal jeopardy. Harry would only have to say, 'My father said this' and a court case could collapse."

Royal advisers have reportedly discussed the case of former butler Paul Burrell as a cautionary tale.

Burrell's 2002 trial for theft of Princess Diana's belongings was abruptly halted when Queen Elizabeth II recalled a crucial conversation with him.

This incident caused embarrassment to the Royal Family, with claims of inappropriate involvement in legal matters. Palace officials are keen to avoid similar accusations of monarchy meddling in court proceedings.

Despite these concerns, Palace officials say King Charles is not opposed to some form of reconciliation with the Sussexes.

However, the situation is complicated by resentment from Palace staff who have dealt with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

These staff members insist they did everything possible to assist the Duchess of Sussex, but added that she refused to cooperate.

In June, Prince Harry was granted permission to appeal against the rejection of his legal challenge regarding the Government's decision to remove his police protection in the UK.

The Duke of Sussex launched this action after the Home Office ruled in February 2020 that he would not automatically receive personal police security while visiting the UK.

Although his initial appeal attempt was unsuccessful, Harry will now be able to directly ask the court of appeal for permission to challenge the decision.

His legal spokesman stated: "The Duke of Sussex hopes he will obtain justice from the court of appeal. The Duke is not asking for preferential treatment, but for a fair and lawful application of Ravec's own rules, ensuring that he receives the same consideration as others in accordance with Ravec's own written policy."