TO Buckingham Palace comments remain unofficial on Prince Harry’s lost case against the British Home Office. There Scotland Yard’s stock is now definitively denied after the push and pull that began when the Sussexes left the court in March 2020. Harry had offered to pay for the bodyguards himself but the judge ruled him out. And according to the British royal watchers, the new humiliation inflicted on the Sussexes now tightens the terms of the law megxit to the detriment of relations with King Charles.
Prince Harry annoyed by the humiliating defeat
“Only another funeral or a new Royal wedding will now be able to convince Harry to return even for a short visit,” say Royal commentators. The snub suffered by Scotland Yard – who thus confirmed his initial reaction to the prince’s request (“We are not for hire,” the managers replied) – will have serious consequences.
Andfter the traumatic experience of the recent paparazzi chase in New York, the Dukes of Sussex will have a certain reluctance to set foot on British soil again.
King Charles did nothing to help his son (although he had already done it for Camilla)
But what impact will the judge’s decision have on the Sussexes’ contacts with the Royal Family? To suffer, experts say, will be in particular the relationship of Harry with his father, King Charles III, who allegedly refused to interfere in the cause. Harry knows that there are precedents: Charles had done so in the case of his wife Camilla, pestering the Home Office to assign an escort to the then Duchess of Cornwall since the early days of making their union official.
The Sussexes increasingly locked up in Montecito
Harry certainly hasn’t forgiven his father for having it either practically kicked out of Frogmore Cottage, which until a few months ago was the official residence of the Sussexes in Great Britain. With no escort, and no home, Harry and Meghan will feel no particular urge to return to London. But they know this will end up hurting their brand, whose success depends on their Royal ties.
Meghan and Harry in New York on May 16th. (Getty Images)
There is also the question of the heavy bill to pay…
As if that weren’t enough, in addition to the lost cause, the prince will now have to face another humiliation: he will inevitably be forced to shell out around £500,000 in legal fees out of his own pocket. And his popularity at home is destined to drop further: the failed appeal will cost British taxpayers around 300,000 pounds. One more reason for irritation for Carlo, whose priority is instead that of not weighing too much financially on his subjects.
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