A Timeline of Prince Harry’s Lawsuits, Security Woes and Feud with Father

Prince Harry’s family woes have been years in the making.

Since 2019, the Duke of Sussex has been locked in numerous legal battles after he first filed three lawsuits against Rupert Murdoch’s News Group, the Mirror Group and Associated Newspapers over alleged phone hacking that occurred when he was a teen.

In September 2020, he also filed a lawsuit challenging the royal committee’s decision to strip the royal and his family of taxpayer-funded security after he and wife Meghan Markle stepped back from senior royal duties in January of the same year. (Harry and Meghan share two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.)

Though Harry has been successful in his phone hacking cases, he was dealt a legal blow in May 2025 when the High Court dismissed his security claim.

Harry has also claimed his father, King Charles, could step in and help him and his family obtain security that would allow them to visit the U.K. any time he wants, putting the onus on his father and furthering the rifts between the two.

In May 2025, following the dismissed security claim, Harry admitted that he would like to repair the strained relationship he has with his family. “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” Harry told BBC News on May 2. “Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has.”

Shortly after, King Charles issued a call for unity ahead of VE Day. The royal family members “are much looking forward to all the week’s VE Day events,” a Buckingham Palace rep shared on May 4. “They will unite with the rest of the nation and those across the Commonwealth and wider world in celebrating, commemorating and giving thanks to the wartime generation whose selfless devotion, duty and service should stand as an enduring example to us all — and must never be forgotten.”

As the royal family continues to be fractured, here is a look at Harry’s security fight, his legal challenges and his ongoing feud with his father, King Charles.

Related: Prince Harry’s Many Legal Cases Explained: Phone Hacking and More

Since stepping down as a senior working royal in 2020, Prince Harry hasn’t been shy about standing up for himself — and has attempted to do so through several lawsuits. Perhaps most famously, the Duke of Sussex has fought against the fact that he and his wife, Meghan Markle, lost state-funded police protection during United […]

July 2016: Prince Harry meets Meghan Markle

The feud between Prince Harry and King Charles goes back at least to 2016, when Harry began dating Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex. Harry confirmed his relationship with the actress in November 2016, while simultaneously speaking out against media coverage of Meghan — he likened the treatment she received from the press to what his mother, the late Princess Diana, also experienced. Harry and Meghan eventually married in May 2018.

In an interview with CBS in March 2021, Harry said that racism was a big part of the reason why he and Meghan stepped back from royal life. “One of the people at that dinner said to me, ‘Please don’t do this with the media. They will destroy your life.’ This person is friends with a lot of the editors,” Harry shared. “And I said, ‘So just to elaborate, what do you mean by that?’ Obviously, I knew. He said, ‘You need to understand that the U.K. is very bigoted,’” Harry explained. “If the source of information is inherently corrupt or racist or bias, then that filters out to the rest of society.”

During the Sunday, March 7, interview, Meghan, 39, spoke in length on the topic, revealing that when she was pregnant with Archie, now 22 months old, there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born” within the palace.

Harry also wrote about racism within the family in his 2023 book Spare. “My Mother Country. Doing this? To her? To us? Really?” he asked, revealing that a HuffPost article calling his silence “unforgivable” prompted him to release a statement.

2019: Harry files lawsuits against three newspapers

Prince Harry filed lawsuits against Murdoch’s News Group, the Mirror Group and Associated Newspapers, alleging that the news groups resorted to hacking and deception to obtain stories about his teen years as well as about his romantic relationships.

January 2020: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle “step back”

Things really kicked off after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from senior royal duties in January 2020, nearly nine months after the birth of their son, Prince Archie. The decision splintered the royal family, and Prince Harry and Meghan left the U.K. — first to Canada, where the government funded their protection until they ultimately relocated to Montecito, California.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex choosing to relocate to Canada on a part-time basis presented our government with a unique and unprecedented set of circumstances,” a statement from Public Safety Canada to Us on February 27, 2020, read. “The RCMP has been engaged with officials in the U.K. from the very beginning regarding security considerations. As the duke and duchess are currently recognized as Internationally Protected Persons, Canada has an obligation to provide security assistance on an as-needed basis.”

A month later, a U.K. committee in charge of royal security determined Harry and his family would no longer receive the same degree of taxpayer-funded protection they were entitled to as full-time members of the family.

September 2020: Prince Harry files a lawsuit over security decision

Harry filed a lawsuit in the U.K. following the committee’s decision to strip him and his family of their security detail. Part of the issue appears to be that some members of the family who are not full-time royals still have state-funded security. “He remains willing to cover the cost of security, as not to impose on the British taxpayer. As is widely known, others who have left public office and have an inherent threat risk receive police protection at no cost to them,” a note penned for Harry explained. “The goal for Prince Harry has been simple — to ensure the safety of himself and his family while in the U.K. so his children can know his country.”

January 2022: Prince Harry files for judicial review

In January 2022, Harry applied for judicial review of a previous decision that prevented him from personally paying for police protection for himself and his family when visiting the U.K.

“Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life. He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats,” a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex shared at the time. “While his role within the Institution has changed, his profile as a member of the royal family has not. Nor has the threat to him and his family.”

September 2022: Queen Elizabeth II dies

Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, ushering in the reign of Harry’s father, King Charles, who has long advocated for a stripped down version of the royal family. At this point Harry and Meghan had welcomed their daughter, Princess Lilibet.

The Queen’s death was difficult for the family to come to terms with. The Duke of Sussex, 37, is especially upset that he didn’t arrive in Scotland until after his grandmother had already died on September 8. “Harry is guilt-stricken — full of sorrow and regret about not saying goodbye to the queen,” an insider told Us. “They met up a couple of times during the Platinum Jubilee, but he by no means expected it to be the last time he saw her.”

Harry also was not allowed to wear his military uniform to the Queen’s funeral, despite having served in the British military and being awarded three honorary military titles, Captain General Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington and Commodore-in-Chief of Small Ships and Diving (those titles were stripped when he and Meghan Markle stepped down).

“[Prince Harry] will wear a morning suit throughout events honoring his grandmother. His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears and we respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” a spokesperson noted at the time.

June 6-7, 2023: Prince Harry takes the stand

Prince Harry returned to the U.K. in June 2023 to testify in his phone hacking case against the Mirror Group, making him the first royal to take the stand in a legal matter in over 100 years. Harry’s 55-page witness statement was released June 6. In the document, the prince blamed tabloid coverage about him for the demise of his relationship with ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, whom he dated off and on from 2004 to 2011. “Ultimately, these factors led her to make the decision that a Royal life was not for her, which was incredibly upsetting for me at the time,” he wrote.

December 2023: Prince Harry wins his lawsuit against the Mirror Group

Prince Harry won his lawsuit against the Mirror Group on December 15, 2023. “This case is not just about hacking. It is about a systemic practice of unlawful and appalling behavior, followed by clever-ups and destruction of evidence, the shocking scale of which can only be revealed through these proceedings,” Harry said in a statement after the ruling, per People. “The journey to justice can be a slow and painful one and since bringing my claim almost five years ago defamatory stories and intimidating tactics have been deployed against me and at my family’s expense.”

“My commitment to seeing this case through is based on my belief in our need — and collective right — to a free and honest press,” he continued. “And one which is properly accountable when necessary. That is what we need in Britain and across the globe. Anything else is poisoning the well for a profession we all depend on.”

February 2024: King Charles announces cancer diagnosis

Buckingham Palace announced King Charles’ cancer diagnosis in February 2024. Prince Harry traveled to the U.K. shortly after the news went public to see his father, departing on February 8.

Prince Harry commented on his father’s diagnosis that month. “I love my family,” Harry, 39, said during a February 16 appearance on Good Morning America. “The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that.”

February 2024: The High Court dismisses Harry’s security claim

The first blow against Harry’s security claim was levied on February 28, 2024, when the High Court issued a dismissal.

June 2024: Harry files an appeal in security claim

Months later, Harry filed an appeal in the ongoing security claim.

January 2025: Rupert Murdoch’s News Group settles with Prince Harry

Harry scored another legal victory in January 2025, when Murdoch’s News Group settled their lawsuit and issued a full apology for intruding in his private life. “NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun,” News Group wrote.

“NGN also offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them at the News of the World,” the statement continued.

“NGN further apologizes to the Duke for the impact on him of the extensive coverage and serious intrusion into his private life as well as the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, in particular during his younger years. We acknowledge and apologize for the distress caused to the Duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages. The media organization also acknowledged, without any admission of illegality, that NGN’s response to the 2006 arrests and subsequent actions were regrettable.

“NGN also offers a full and unequivocal apology to Lord Watson for the unwarranted intrusion carried out into his private life during his time in Government by the News of the World during the period 2009- 2011,” the statement read.“This includes him being placed under surveillance in 2009 by journalists at the News of the World and those instructed by them. NGN also acknowledges and apologizes for the adverse impact this had on Lord Watson’s family and has agreed to pay him substantial damages.”

May 2025: Prince Harry loses security appeal

Prince Harry lost his appeal to receive taxpayer-funded security on May 2. Buckingham Palace, which represents King Charles, issued a short statement on the ruling the same day. “All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion,” the statement read.

May 2025: Prince Harry claims King Charles has “full control” over security decision

In an interview with the BBC in May 2025, Prince Harry said he hopes to patch things up with his family. “I would love reconciliation with my family, there’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. Life is precious, I don’t know how much longer my father has, he won’t speak to me because of this security stuff,” he explained.

“I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point. They’re going to miss everything, I love my country, I always have done despite what some people in that country have done,” Harry also said. “I miss the U.K., of course I do. I think it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.”

However, Harry also said he believes his father could do more to solve the security problem. “Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through him,” he said. “Not necessarily by intervening, but my stepping side, allowing the experts to do what is necessary and to carry out an RNB.”

May 2025: King Charles releases statement on “unity”

King Charles released a statement about “unity” following Harry’s BBC interview.

The royal family members “are much looking forward to all the week’s VE Day events,” a Buckingham Palace rep shared on May 4. “They will unite with the rest of the nation and those across the Commonwealth and wider world in celebrating, commemorating and giving thanks to the wartime generation whose selfless devotion, duty and service should stand as an enduring example to us all — and must never be forgotten.”