A royal insider is pulling back the curtain and revealing the real reason why King Charles and Prince Harry are still not on speaking terms.
"He gets 'unavailable right now,'" a friend close to the Duke of Sussex told People in an exclusive interview for the publication's latest cover story. "His calls go unanswered. He has tried to reach out about the King's health, but those calls go unanswered, too."
According to sources close to Prince Harry who say they are familiar with the matter, King Charles' relationship with his youngest son has "deteriorated" following the monarch's cancer diagnosis.
"Those close to Prince Harry say the monarch no longer takes his son's calls or responds to his letters," People reports, adding that the King is not responsive to Prince Harry's multiple requests for help in regards to the security of his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
"Harry is frightened and feels the only person who can do anything about it is his father," a royal insider told the publication. Another source adds that the Duke of Sussex is "determined to protect his own family at all costs."
In a recent interview for ITV's documentary Tabloids on Trial, the Duke of Sussex revealed the reason why he says he is still not comfortable brining his family—and most notably his wife, Meghan Markle—back to England.
"All it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read," Prince Harry said at the time, adding that it's "still dangerous" to bring his family across the pond.
"And whether it's a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me," he continued, referring to the ongoing security concerns and threats posed against his family.
"It's one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country," he explained.
In fact, Prince Harry almost skipped out on an in-person visit to the U.K. in celebration of the 10th anniversary of his beloved Invictus Games, a paralympic-style competition honoring veterans, due to ongoing security concerns.
The Prince did eventually decide to attend in-person, but sans his wife and two children.
During Prince Harry's most recent U.K. visit, he reportedly attempted to see his father in-person—a request that was ultimately denied by King Charles, who claimed he had too busy a schedule to meet with his estranged son.
“In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not the Duke will meet with his father while in the U.K. this week it, unfortunately, will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full program," a spokesperson for Prince Harry said, The Telegraph reported at the time.
“The Duke, of course, is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon," the spokesperson added.
