Prince Harry has been warned by royal biographer Tom Bower that his best course of action would be to "disappear for a year" following a contentious return to the UK last week. The Duke of Sussex's visit was marred by a bizarre dispute over whether he would stay at Buckingham Palace, and his legal battle against the publisher of the Daily Mail ended in a devastating defeat.
Court Loss and Backlash
On Tuesday, the High Court dismissed all 14 of Prince Harry's claims against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail. In response, Harry and fellow claimant Baroness Doreen Lawrence issued a joint statement accusing the court of a "complete and obvious whitewash." The ruling has been widely seen as a major setback for the prince's ongoing legal campaigns against the British press.
Speaking after the verdict, investigative biographer Tom Bower, author of Betrayal: Power, Deceit And The Fight For The Future Of The Royal Family, told the Daily Express: "The best thing he could do is go back to Montecito and disappear for a year and then start again, try again to rebuild relations, but prove that he can be trusted."
Trust and Hypocrisy Allegations
Bower criticized Harry's handling of the visit, noting that the speculation about his accommodations, whether Meghan Markle would join, and if the children would meet King Charles III demonstrated that he is "completely untrustworthy." The biographer added: "Harry is a hypocrite for using the media he claims to hate to leak damaging stories. If he had just handled things quietly, he and Meghan could have had a private family visit. But they didn't want privacy - they wanted a massive public spectacle for branding and publicity."
Security Concerns and Family Visit
Amid the controversy, the Mirror reported that Harry is "frantically" trying to secure additional private security for his family. A royal source told the paper: "While nothing has been ruled out, conversations remain ongoing." Another source added: "The King would not pass up the opportunity to spend time with his grandchildren, and if there is a way of making it possible, he will do it."
Originally, Prince Harry and Meghan had hoped to return to the UK together with their children, Archie and Lilibet, to meet King Charles for the first time since 2022's Platinum Jubilee. However, after the last-minute dispute over the Buckingham Palace invitation—which was reportedly "withdrawn"—it was decided that Meghan and the children would remain in Europe, likely at their holiday home in Portugal.
