Prince Harry's Getting The Royal Middle Finger – And People Are Upset

Even if his trip is about the media, somehow it's turned into speculation around another family saga...
Prince Harry arriving at the High Court for the second day of hearing
Dan Kitwood via Getty Images
Prince Harry arriving at the High Court for the second day of hearing

Prince Harry turned up in London for the second day of his court hearing against a newspaper publisher on Tuesday – but his family drama is still making headlines.

Despite travelling to the UK from California, where he now lives, he is not expected to see his father, according to reports – and Twitter is not very impressed.

What’s the latest between Harry and the Royals?

Although Harry reportedly returned to the UK after flying commercial over the weekend, King Charles has said he was too “busy” to see his youngest son, according to reports in The Telegraph.

Relations are believed to be especially strained since the Duke of Sussex published his bombshell memoir, Spare, and revealed plenty of personal details about his life with his very private relatives, emphasising his own struggles behind palace walls.

It’s still not clear if Harry and his wife Meghan Markle will even attend Charles’ coronation in May, amid these ongoing tensions – although they have definitely been invited.

Charles was supposed to be in France between Sunday and Wednesday for the first part of his first overseas tour since becoming the monarch, but it was cancelled because of the protests in the country.

Still, Harry’s appearance in the UK this week would likely have overshadowed the trip.

From Wednesday, the King will be going to Germany, and is said to be preparing for that leg of the tour which is why he cannot see his son, according to The Telegraph.

So Twitter is not impressed.

King Charles, this is disgraceful. What kind of Father is ‘too busy’ to see his son?

That he would allow such to be put out there about Prince Harry is petty & quite frankly deliberately hurtful. It’s wicked.

Really glad Harry had Diana for his mother - she would never do this pic.twitter.com/8eE5FLP0Ht

— Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@SholaMos1) March 28, 2023

< What isn’t very understandable is King Charles’s inability to come up with a good reason as to why he won’t be seeing his son during his surprise visit to the U.K. this week. > 🤦🏻♀️💥🙄🙄🙄https://t.co/RgS7beLhdO

— Baroness Bruck (@BaronessBruck) March 27, 2023

King Charles wants to you to know he’s too busy to see someone who didn’t aak to see him 😏 https://t.co/ZPKZc4ejAX

— Krys - Global Royal Expert (@byetwit) March 27, 2023

The King is "too busy" to see Harry, who is London for a court case against the mail.

That's the same King whose State visit to France was cancelled at the last minute three days ago and who is not due in Berlin until the 29th.https://t.co/Sfryr1Xumw

— Lolita Westinghouse 🇺🇦 (@lolwestinghouse) March 27, 2023

Commentators on Good Morning Britain also voiced their surprise at Charles’ refusal to see his son, prompting Richard Madeley to say he couldn’t “imagine” saying he was too busy to see his on children.

'You know as a father and a mother that you would find time to see your kid.'

Should the King make time to meet with Prince Harry while he is in the U.K.?

The Duke of Sussex appeared at London's High Court as legal proceedings begin in a phone-tapping and privacy case. pic.twitter.com/AwVOFn6JZU

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) March 28, 2023

So why is Harry in the UK?

The Duke of Sussex unexpectedly appeared at the High Court on Monday, making it clear that he – along with his fellow celebrity plaintiffs including Elton John and David Furnish – took this case seriously.

The famous names are accusing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) who own the Daily Mail, of phone-tapping, bugging cars and homes, and paying police for sensitive information.

Harry has long emphasised that one of his main focuses in his post-royal life is reshaping the media landscape, having felt targeted by the tabloid press in particular for much of his life.

So his sudden appearance made it clear he was serious about this case, too, even though he and the other claimants are not expected to speak this week and were not required to attend.

ANL has said it “utterly and unambiguously”denies the allegations and is using this week to try and have the case thrown out before it gets to trial.

Harry alone has submitted 14 separate claims about articles ANL have published, with information about his private life taken unlawfully.

The lawyer representing the famous faces bringing legal action said Harry was “deprived of important aspects of his teenage years”.

But, by the second day, it was clear that the Duke of Sussex felt he had already sent the message he needed to the rest of the press.

While on Monday he entered the High Court through the main entrance, drawing all the media attention while he grinned cheekily to the cameras, on Tuesday he took on a different tact.

Sky News reported that there was a heavy police presence at court ahead of his arrival, but he came in via the back entrance.

He was also the only high-profile figure in the courtroom on Tuesday, with his six other plaintiffs opting not to attend.

Close