“This is, and always will be, his home.”
A London court has heard that Prince Harry “does not feel safe” bringing his wife Meghan Markle and their two children to his homeland following his loss of police protection.
At a preliminary hearing to have the protection reinstated, legal representatives for the Duke of Sussex today told the Royal Courts of Justice of his concerns regarding the lack of security measures in place for his family following his and Meghan’s decision to step back from royal duties.
After making the announcement in January 2020, the couple lost their public-funded security in the UK and now pay for their own security in the US. However, the pair were later informed that they could not have police protection in the UK – even if they were to fund it out of their own pockets.
When Harry and Meghan return to the UK with their son Archie Harrison, 2, and daughter Lilibet Diana, 8 months, they are thereby not be entitled to the high level of security intelligence that comes with state-funded protection.
Though Harry did not attend the hearing himself, the Guardian reports that his attorney Shaheed Fatima told the court: “This claim is about the fact that the claimant does not feel safe when he is in the UK given the security arrangements that were applied to him in June 2021 and will continue to be applied to him if he decides to come back.
“And, of course, it should go without saying that he wants to come back: to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart. Most of all, this is, and always will be, his home.”
Harry applied for a judicial review of the security arrangements in September 2021 after a July incident in which his car was reportedly chased by photographers.
The only royal family members who currently receive 24-hour police protection are Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton.
Other “working” royals such as Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex receive state protection only whilst carrying out official engagements.
Prince Andrew also lost his right to police protection after stepping back from royal duties in 2019 amid growing concerns about his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Harry has previously insisted he is willing to pay for police protection himself while in the UK with his family and does not expect the burden to fall on the tax payer.
