Prince Harry and King Charles - pictures throughout the years including before the royal family split

The Duke of Sussex has claimed the King will not speak to him and he does not know “how much longer my father has” as he spoke of his hopes for a “reconciliation” with his family.

In a BBC television interview after losing the latest round in his court battle over his security, Harry, 40, said: “this, at the heart of it, is a family dispute”.

When asked if Charles had been approached to use his influence in Harry’s legal problems, the duke appeared to imply the King was a hindrance, a comment likely to deepen the rift with his father and his brother, the Prince of Wales. He said: “I’ve never asked him to intervene, I’ve asked him to step out of the way and let the experts do their job.”

The health of the King, who is being treated for cancer, was highlighted by his son, who said: “And I said, life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has, he, he won’t speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.”

Harry, who appeared emotional and close to tears through much of the interview, offered an olive branch, saying he could “forgive my family’s involvement”, naming Charles, the Prince of Wales and his stepmother, the Queen, in events since he began dating his wife Meghan in 2016.

Harry and Meghan, in an agreement ratified by the late queen, renounced their royal titles as part of moving away from being working royals. There has been concern raised in some parts recently as Meghan has allegedly been using HRH in her new business ventures.

What is certain though, is that the current stand-off situation, which has ended up in court hearings rather than in-house agreements, means that the some of the group family pictures seen here are unlikely to be repeated with Harry’s own children. With William said to be much closer to his father, there will be no royal family group holidays at any point in the new future.