London: Prince Harry has expressed a desire to reconcile with the British royal family. However, Harry admitted that he is “devastated” after losing a legal bid to regain full police protection in the UK, leaving him feeling unable to safely return with his family.

In an emotional interview with the BBC from California, the Duke of Sussex said the fallout over the security dispute has left him estranged from his father King Charles III. “Life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has... he won't speak to me because of this security stuff,” Harry said.

HarryHarry, who stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States with his wife Meghan and their children, noted that the situation had left him deeply saddened. “Of course some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course they will never forgive me for lots of things. But... I would love for reconciliation,” he added.

The Duke's legal efforts to restore publicly funded police protection during visits to the UK were dismissed on Thursday, with the court ruling against his appeal. Speaking after the judgment, Harry said, “It’s impossible for me to take my family back to the UK safely.”

The 40-year-old royal has challenged the 2020 decision by a government committee to reduce his security, arguing that it placed him and his family at risk. His legal team cited threats from Al-Qaeda and a high-speed paparazzi chase in New York as examples of the dangers he faces. His lawyer Shaheed Fatima argued the prince’s “safety... security and... life” were under threat.

However, the Court of Appeal ruled against him, with Judge Geoffrey Vos stating that while Harry had a “sense of grievance”, it did not amount to a valid legal complaint. Vos also noted that the Duke now receives a “more bespoke and generally lesser, level of protection than when he was in the UK”.

Reacting to the judgment, Harry called it a “good old-fashioned establishment stitch up” and accused royal institutions of influencing the process. “This all comes from the same institutions that preyed upon my mother,” he said in a statement on Friday, referring to the intense media scrutiny that led to Princess Diana’s fatal car crash in Paris in 1997.

Harry added that he misses Britain deeply. “It’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show... my children my homeland,” he told the BBC.

The relationship between Harry and his father has been strained further following the publication of his memoir and his criticism of the royal family. Reports indicate Harry found out about King Charles III’s recent health complications through the media. The King, 76, has been undergoing cancer treatment since his diagnosis in February 2024.

Meanwhile, Meghan Markle has taken on a more public role this year, with the launch of a new podcast and Netflix series, as well as a return to social media.

A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace responded to the court ruling, stating: “All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.”