Prince Harry, Meghan visit King Charles after security controversy

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, visited King Charles on Friday after a week of controversy surrounding security in the U.K.

Harry, Meghan and children Prince Archie and Princess Lillibet were hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House, according to Buckingham Palace. The palace said it was a private family visit and thus no details or photos would be shared.

Harry and Meghan had planned to come to the U.K. as part of a visit tied to the Invictus Games, a sporting competition for injured veterans started by Harry, a veteran himself. But CBS News’ international partner BBC News reported the prince was reconsidering bringing his family on a trip to the U.K. scheduled for July because his request for taxpayer-funded police protection was rejected by British authorities.

Harry visited the U.K. alone over the last week, with the Sussexes’ representatives telling CBS News that the prince, “continues to explore every available option to enable the visit to proceed safely and to give his children the opportunity to enjoy the UK.”

After stepping down from his public role and moving to California, Harry and his family had their security downgraded, however, and it is now determined on a case-by-case basis by the U.K. government’s Royal and VIP Executive Committee. 

In addition to tension over moving to California and stepping down as senior royals, the prince’s tell-all book, “Spare,” and their interviews and a documentary, in which they were highly critical of their treatment at the hands of the royal family, have created a bumpy relationship with his father and brother, Prince William.

It was a rough week in general for Harry, who lost a long-running legal battle Tuesday against the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.

Harry was among several claimants in the case — along with Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley — who accused the publisher of the popular tabloids of unlawfully gathering information about them through methods such as phone tapping, intercepting voicemails and impersonating people to obtain personal information.

However, the U.K. High Court dismissed the claims, saying they could not be proven. 

In a similar case, the publisher of The Sun newspaper paid the duke “substantial damages” in an out-of-court settlement last year and profusely apologized for hacking his phone to find out information.