King Charles 'refusing to take Prince Harry's calls' as Royal Family rift deepens

The Duke of Sussex and the monarch last saw each other in February when they met for 45 minutes in London following the King's cancer diagnosis.

But sources close to Harry said their communication has worsened ever since, especially amid growing tensions over the Duke of Sussex's battle for automatic security when in the UK.

The Duke of Sussex is said to be "frightened" about the safety of his wife Meghan Markle and children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.

Harry also believes the King has the power to intervene in his ongoing court case with the Home Office.

Sources told People Magazine that the issue of security began as a point of frustration between father and son but has now developed into "complete silence".

A friend of Harry's said: "He gets 'unavailable right now'. His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King's health, but those calls go unanswered too."

Decisions over the Duke of Sussex's security are made independently of the King by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which is part of the Home Office.

Harry last visited the UK in May to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, but could not meet his father during this recent trip.

The duke's spokesman said at the time that this was due to the King's "full programme".

In February, Harry, who now lives in Montecito, lost his High Court challenge in London against the UK Government over his right to state-funded police protection.

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He had told a judge that he did not feel able to bring his children Archie and Lilibet to the UK and could not put Meghan "in danger like that".

Prince Harry was then permitted in May to go to the Court of Appeal over the decision made in 2020 by Ravec.

A member of the King's staff does sit on Ravec, but the King does not have the power to bestow police protection.

Last week it was confirmed that Birmingham would be the host city for the Invictus Games in 2027, but Harry might choose to attend without the rest of his family because of his security fears.