Prince Harry is known to have a very rocky relationship with his father King Charles and brother Prince William. But one royal he seemed to retain a very close bond with is his younger cousin Princess Eugenie.
The daughter of Prince Andrew and Fergie was the only royal to appear in Harry and Meghan’s controversial Netflix series and is also believed to be the only one to have visited them at the California mansion. However, reports emerged last month that the two cousins had fallen out and were no longer as close.
It came after mum-of-two Eugenie was spotted sharing a hug with broadcaster Piers Morgan, who has been highly critical of the Sussexes over the years. In fact, Piers himself claimed Harry went “completely ballistic” when he saw the pictures of him and the princess.
But now a so-called insider close to Harry has hit back at the claims, saying there is no truth in them, and that the cousins’ close relationship remains intact. A source told favoured Sussex outlet PEOPLE magazine: “The Duke remains close to Princess Eugenie. They always have and always will be.”
The magazine also reports that Eugenie’s sons August and Ernest are similar in age to Harry’s children Archie and Lilibet – meaning there is an extra layer to their connection. However, it seems Harry’s relationship with his estranged father, the King, is a very different story, with the pair remaining distant and Harry’s letters and calls going unanswered, sources have claimed.
Harry has also been left in the dark about Charles’s current condition, only learning of his recent hospital stay for side effects of his cancer treatment through the media, PEOPLE magazine reported. A source told the US publication: “I don’t think there is any rapprochement”, with another adding: “They are distant.”
Harry was in London last week for his appeal against the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office over the decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of protection when in the UK. But the duke did not meet his father before the King left on his state visit to Italy.
People magazine reported that the divide between the pair has widened, with their last face-to-face meeting taking place in February 2024 after Charles announced his cancer diagnosis. Harry’s calls and letters have gone unanswered and the King is reportedly keeping his distance to avoid being drawn into discussions about security, sources close to Harry believe.
The duke, who is awaiting the outcome of his appeal, told The Telegraph “people would be shocked by what’s being held back” after some evidence was heard in private. Harry claimed his taxpayer-funded police protection was withdrawn in a failed bid to force him and the Duchess of Sussex to stay in the UK. Ravec’s decision in 2020 stated that Metropolitan Police protection would no longer be appropriate after the Sussexes’ departure and that they should receive a different degree of protection when in the UK.
The Sussexes receive a “bespoke” security service, whereby they are required to give 30 days notice of any plans to travel to the UK, with each visit being assessed for threat levels and whether protection is needed.
Shaheed Fatima KC, who represents Harry, told the appeal hearing that the duke had been “singled out for different, unjustified and inferior treatment”, adding that Harry “does not accept that ‘bespoke’ means ‘better’”. Buckingham Palace declined to comment, as did the Office for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
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