LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince Harry said on Friday he would love to be reconciled with his family five years after he stepped down as a working royal and during a period when his relationship with his family has deteriorated to the point of no communication.
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.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Rod Nickel)
