Victoria Ward
London: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is reconsidering bringing his wife and children to Britain after learning they will not receive police protection, London’s Telegraph understands.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had intended to be in Britain for five days of events relating to his Invictus Games and charity patronages in early July, and planned to bring Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet with them.
The children are not expected to attend any public events, but Meghan was scheduled to join her husband on visits to Royal Hospital Chelsea and an Invictus event at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.
Details of the trip were announced on Friday evening (London time).
Shortly afterwards, The Telegraph understands, Harry was informed that his application for a security package for the visit had been denied.
The family will not receive taxpayer-funded protection while in the United Kingdom other than when they are within royal residences. The Duke received an invitation from the King for his family to spend part of the trip in a royal property, which The Telegraph is not naming for security reasons.
A source close to Harry and Meghan has accused the Home Office and the committee responsible for assessing their security of “wilfully creating conditions that are making it nearly impossible” for them to move around Britain.
Duke ‘pretty robust’ on security
While the Duke himself was “generally pretty robust” about handling security issues, the source said, there was concern about the effect on the children should anything go awry.
Harry had been waiting for the result of a review by the risk management board, part of the process by which the executive committee for the protection of royalty and public figures (RAVEC) rules on his security requirements.
He had been told the assessment would take place in March. However, he was told last week that it had not taken place and that all such assessments had been “paused”, a source said.
Since quitting royal duties to move abroad in 2020, he has not been given police protection on any return visit unless involved in official royal occasions, such as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
He is currently asked to provide 28 days’ notice of his plans to visit Britain, with taxpayer-funded security decided on a case-by-case basis.
Individual police forces can independently provide their own police for events, particularly if there is additional risk to the public. The Sussexes also travel with their own private protection officers.
Harry is described as “desperate” for Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, to see their grandfather, the King.
He last saw them in 2022, when the Sussexes were in Britain for Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. The family celebrated Lilibet’s first birthday together at Frogmore Cottage, Windsor.
A source close to the Sussexes told The Telegraph: “The precarious security situation and endless speculation about where the family will stay is making the planning and logistics for the private security team increasingly difficult.”
They added: “The Home Office and the RAVEC board are wilfully creating conditions that are making it nearly impossible to move the family from A to B.
“There have been three separate incidents in the UK in less than 12 months that we know of, each involving a fixated person getting to within feet of the Duke.
“In some circumstances, because of the limitations on what private security have the authority to do, they weren’t able to remove the person.
“Harry is a big guy, a former soldier and generally pretty robust when it comes to handling these incidents. It’s what impact such moments would have on the kids that everyone is most concerned about.”
The children live privately in Montecito, California. While their mother shares their photographs and videos on Instagram, their faces are obscured, and they do not attend public events with their parents.
The Duke “just wants his kids to see their grandfather”, said a source, but was reconsidering whether it was safe to do so.
He will continue with his own commitments, including engagements with charities WellChild, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, and Invictus, but may alter announced plans for his family.
Family could fly in for the day
Among the options under consideration are to fly them in and out of Britain in one day, from mainland Europe, where the family is thought to be on holiday.
Harry is said to have been given assurances from Buckingham Palace that there is “hope” a meeting with the King could happen.
The Sussexes’ private security team has drawn up its own risk assessment, which has identified serious concerns.
A source said: “Protective security has always been about risk, not job title.
“A role may change, but the threats faced because of who someone is, where they come from, and what they have done in service of their country, do not simply disappear.”
A government spokesman said: “The UK government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate.
“It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.”
The Telegraph, London
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