Prince Harry: No return to UK likely, my children may never know my homeland

Prince Harry said on Friday he wanted reconciliation with the British royal family, but his father King Charles will not speak to him over a row about his security.

Harry said he did not know how long the monarch, who has cancer, would live.

Hours after losing a court battle with the British government over his police protection, Harry gave an emotional interview to the BBC in which he said he did not think he would ever be able to bring his family back to Britain.

"I would love reconciliation with my family," Harry said. "Life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has. He won't speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile."

Harry stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States, where he lives in California with his American wife Meghan and their two children.

Since leaving, he and Meghan have been highly critical of the royals in TV documentaries, an explosive interview with U.S. chat show host Oprah Winfrey and most notably in Harry's best-selling biography "Spare." The prince is barely on speaking terms with either his father or his elder brother, heir to the throne Prince William.

In the meantime, Buckingham Palace revealed last year that Charles had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer, although aides have been upbeat about how his treatment is progressing.

In response to the BBC interview, Buckingham Palace made no reference to his comments about his father or reconciliation.

But a palace spokesperson said all the issues surrounding the prince's police protection "have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion."

Harry's comments came after he unsuccessfully sought to overturn a decision by the Home Office - the ministry responsible for policing - which in 2020 decided he would not automatically receive personal police protection in Britain after leaving royal life.

The prince told the BBC that he was "pretty gutted about the decision," adding: "We thought it was going to go our way."

Harry, who has previously said the royal institution had sacrificed him to protect other senior members, said he believed the decision over his security had been made to exert control over him, blaming his father for not doing more.

"I have had it described to me, once people knew about the facts, that this is an old-fashioned, good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up. And that's what it feels like," he told the BBC.

"There is a lot of control and ability in my father's hands. Ultimately ... this whole thing could be resolved through him, not necessarily by intervening, but by stepping aside, allowing the experts to do what is necessary."

In its ruling, the Court of Appeal said it was "perhaps predictable" Harry would lose his automatic police protection when he exited royal life, and that while he might disagree with the body that made that decision, it was not unlawful.

Harry said some of his family would never forgive him for writing his book, and he accepted that he might not be able to bring his children, Archie and Lilibet, back to his homeland.

"I love my country, I always have done despite what some people in that country have done. I miss the UK. I miss parts of the UK, of course I do. And I think that it's really quite sad that I won't be able to show ... my children my homeland," he said.

Below is a timeline charting the family's issues since 2020.

2020

January - Harry and Meghan announce they are to step down as working royals.

June - The couple moves to Meghan's native California.

2021

March - Harry and Meghan are interviewed by Oprah Winfrey on CBS. Meghan says a member of the royal family had made a racist comment and she had been pushed to the point of considering suicide, while Harry reveals King Charles no longer takes his calls.

The late Queen Elizabeth issues a statement in response. "The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately," the statement says.

June - the couple's second child, a daughter, Lilibet, is born. Lilibet is a family nickname for Elizabeth.

2022

August - Harry files a lawsuit against Britain's Home Office and the Metropolitan Police over his security arrangements in the UK since he stepped down as a working royal.

September - While Harry and Meghan were in London on a visit, Queen Elizabeth dies. They stay in Britain for her funeral.

2023

January - Harry publishes his memoir "Spare," detailing his relationship with his family.

Among the most notable revelations, Harry says his brother William, now heir to the British throne, knocked him to the floor during a 2019 argument at his London home over Meghan. William called Meghan "difficult," "rude" and "abrasive," Harry writes.

He also says he and Prince William had asked their father not to marry Camilla Parker-Bowles, who is now Britain's queen.

May - Harry attends his father's coronation without Meghan. He does not sit with other senior royals.

2024

February - Buckingham Palace announces King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer and will postpone public engagements to undergo treatment.

Harry is photographed arriving at his father's London residence for a brief meeting.

March - Kate, William's wife, says she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy.

2025

April - At an appeal over the changes to his police protection, Harry's lawyer warns his "life is at stake."

May 2 - Harry loses his legal challenge over his security arrangements.

Later that same day, he says he wants reconciliation with the British royal family, explaining that his father King Charles no longer speaks to him due to the security row, and adding he does not know how long the monarch has left to live.