Following a significant legal defeat, Prince Harry welcomed the BBC into his Santa Barbara home. He spoke to the press shortly after losing his High Court Appeal over his security provisions in the UK on Friday. A senior judge upheld the government’s decision to downgrade his security status after he and Meghan Markle stepped back from their roles as senior working royals in 2020 and relocated to the United States.
Sitting down for a candid interview with the journalist Nada Tawfik, the Duke of Sussex showed that despite tensions, he still carries a connection to his royal past.
Reflecting on the interview, Tawfik wrote for the BBC that Prince Harry was "eager to share his feelings, despite the critical scrutiny that follows him".
She said: "I found Prince Harry to be down-to-earth, softly spoken and easy to talk to. He didn't arrive with an entourage and politely introduced himself to us, shaking each of our hands. I was surprised that he knew I had flown in from New York to do the interview.
"Sitting there, close up, there was a lot to unpack. I felt it was important to ask why taxpayers should pay for his security, why a change of status wasn't warranted given he wasn't a working royal, and why protection on a case-by-case basis made him feel at greater risk.
"He wasn't defensive or combative, and he wanted to address each of those points."
Perhaps, after his humiliating defeat, his real motive in giving the interview was to soften his appearance and resonate not just with the public, but with the Royal Family itself.
As the journalist pointedly remarked at the end of her piece for the BBC: "Friday's ruling leaves the prince, in the glamour and comfort of California, hoping for a change of heart in the palaces of London."
But the embattled Duke also revealed that his father, King Charles, has been reluctant to speak with him - largely due to the ongoing security dispute. This comes at a time when Harry is increasingly concerned about how much time they have left together, given the King's cancer treatment.
