Prince Harrys security battle may have left him “close to tears,” but the royal family is said to have little sympathy for his emotional ordeal.
The claim was made by multiple experts who spoke to Fox News Digital after a source told Vanity Fair’s Katie Nicholl that the Duke of Sussex “was devastated and close to tears.”
The U.K. government declined his request for police protection for his family outside royal residences, prompting the prince to return to the U.K. alone on July 6. He is expected to remain there through July 11 for events highlighting the Invictus Games.
PRINCE HARRY’S UK TRIP OFF TO ROCKY START AFTER FIRST MAJOR SETBACK
It is unclear whether he will meet with his father or whether his family will join him later in the week.
“My understanding is that Harry was deeply emotional,” Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube’s “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered,” told Fox News Digital. “[For the royal family], there is exhaustion. The king is frustrated, Prince William is detached, and the broader family has very little appetite for another round of Sussex drama.”
Schofield called William the family’s “biggest realist.”
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“He’s the future of the monarchy, so he views every decision through the lens of protecting the institution he will inherit,” she said. “That naturally makes him more cautious than sentimental. He is a good judge of character, and I’m told he no longer recognizes Prince Harry.”
“King Charles still has the instincts of a father. William has increasingly had to think like a future king. Those are very different perspectives, and history suggests heirs are often less willing to take institutional risks than reigning monarchs.”
“William, in particular, seems grateful to be removed from the soap opera,” Schofield said. “His priority is Princess Catherine, their children and protecting the peace of his household. We have seen plenty of the Wales family this week, and they look blissful and carefree. They aren’t giving the Harry drama a second thought.”
Harry’s troubles only deepened after he arrived in the U.K.
On July 7, the Duke of Sussex lost his yearslong privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. The case involved Harry and six other claimants, including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley. The High Court dismissed their claims after finding they failed to prove unlawful information gathering.
Associated Newspapers Limited called the ruling an “overwhelming victory” and a “magnificent vindication.” Harry said the court denied him the justice and accountability he sought. The publisher has long denied the allegations, calling them “preposterous” and maintaining the articles were based on lawful sources, including friends, royal aides and publicists.
British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that “the debacle” over security and Harry’s “self-inflicted court case” has been “stressful” for the king. Harry has said the litigation became a primary source of his falling out with his father and brother. In pursuing the case, he broke with royal family tradition by taking the dispute to court.
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