Katie Price and Dwight Yorke's feud over son Harvey explained

Katie Price and former footballer Dwight Yorke's feud over their son Harvey has spanned nearly two decades.

Harvey, born with Septo-optic Dysplasia, autism and Prader-Willi syndrome, has primarily been raised by the former Glamour model while the footballer father remained distant.

The couple's conflicts initially rose as Yorke refused to accept he was the father until a paternity test proved otherwise.

Their relationship still soured later on as Price's ex-husband, Peter Andre, expressed a desire to adopt Harvey.

Per Price, the biological father always remained distant—something the footballer addressed in 2009 as he insisted he tried to support his son even if he couldn't be the "perfect partner," referring to his infidelity scandal.

"I think anyone who's in a relationship would like their partner to be faithful and I'm saying I wasn't the perfect partner, she knows that."

In his 2009 book Born to Score, Yorke shared his love for Harvey, but by 2014, Price claimed he no longer maintained contact with his son.

One such occasion Daily Records recalls is that the footballer visited his new son in hospital and wrote his name on Harvey's birth certificate, insisting that the child should take his surname.

Dwight defended his unavailbility on multiple occasions, saying, "It is a combination of different things, one my time schedule and being based up in Manchester and a footballer on an everyday basis. Not sitting here and saying I'm a total perfect father, I've made mistakes along the way and I would love to turn the clock back."

He also wrote, "From the moment I set eyes on the little fella, I have loved my son like I could never ever have imagined possible. I am not going to hear anymore that I did not care for Harvey, or have any understanding of his needs or that I was not interested in his welfare."

The footballer also called out the OnlyFans model for making it difficult to be close to his son.

"Over the years I have heard Katie saying how [Peter] Andre is Harvey's dad and what a terrible, uncaring father I have been, all of which sticks in my throat. Maybe if she had not made life so difficult for me, I might have been able to take a far more proactive role."

And just like that, five years later, Katie claimed that Dwight no longer had any form of relationship with his son.

"The last time Harvey's biological father Dwight Yorke saw him, which was around eight years ago, the first thing he asked was why was Harvey so big. Why was I overfeeding him?," the mother-of-five wrote in her 2014 autobiography.

"I'd explained Harvey's condition to Dwight many times, but he refused to understand it and kept going on about him being fat. It's sad that he's unable to accept Harvey for who he is and seems unable or unwilling to work within his limitations."

Katie continued, "On that occasion, I think Dwight wanted to blame someone for the fact that his son is disabled. I have always said that if Dwight could see what a courageous and talented boy Harvey is then he would enjoy being with him so much."

In 2018 she told Dwight that the "door is always open" which was followed by a desperate plea by the mother a year later as she shared a heart-breaking video of her boy asking for his dad—lamenting that Harvey "didn't deserve it."

In 2020, Katie revealed plans to reunite her ex and his son after supposed years of estrangement and the father-son relationship progressed next year to a birthday call from Dwight.

A few more instances of Dwight allegedly failing to take responsibility for his son took place, as Harvey's maternal grandmother, Amy Price, claimed that the footballer's agent has asked about Havey multiple times but the father didn't check up on him in a close capacity.

In Katie's 2021 book, Amy is reported to have said, "I think it's sad that Dwight isn't in Harvey's life. His agent has always been in contact with me. If Harvey isn't well, she'll message me and ask how he is. But Dwight never asks himself."

The book explained that when Harvey was rushed to intensive care the year before, Dwight's agent rang Amy to ask "how bad he was."

The protective grandmother had replied at the time, "Look, this has got to stop now. If Dwight wants to know about Harvey, he's got our number and he should ring us himself."

Amy stressed, "He shouldn't be going through his agent. It's about time he took some responsibility. But we've heard nothing from Dwight, which is a shame.

Harvey is also missing out on a relationship with his brother, as Dwight has another son."

BBC reported in July that Harvey—who began attending National Star College in Cheltenham in 2021—also faced a cut in funding from West Sussex City Council.

Per the model, they deemed Harvey to have "no healthcare issues," despite him needing medicine to keep him alive and being cortisol deficient.

The reality star is also embroiled in legal trouble over a £760,000 unpaid tax bill after being declared bankrupt for a second time in March.