Are Harry and his family currently protected by security measures?
He and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, personally finance their family’s private security team in the US.
The Sussexes have signed multi-million dollar deals with Netflix and Spotify and Harry told Oprah Winfrey he secured them to pay for his safety.
But he and Meghan have lost taxpayer-funded police protection in the UK after they resigned as senior members of the royal family.
Why did they lose their taxpayer-funded security?
Keeping them safe was one of the key issues when the couple announced they wanted to retire in 2020.
Speaking to Winfrey during the couple’s 2021 sit-down interview, Harry said he was told “due to our change of status, we will no longer be ‘official’ members of the royal family.”
He said he was shocked by this and “pushed” the matter, claiming that the threat or risk to the couple had not changed.
Meghan, during the same interview, described how she wrote to her husband’s family urging them not to “violate his security” but was told “it’s just not possible.”
During the 2020 announcement of their retirement from royal life, their website suggested that the Home Office, through the Metropolitan Police, continue to provide protection for the couple and Archie, their only child at the time.
Did they offer to pay for police protection in the UK?
Yes. According to his legal representative, Harry wants to finance the security himself, rather than asking taxpayers to pay the bills.
He first offered to personally pay for police protection in the UK for himself and his family during the so-called Sandringham Summit in January 2020, but the legal representative said the offer “was rejected”.
The spokesman added that Harry “remains willing to cover security costs so as not to hold British taxpayers responsible.”
Can they use the same security team as in the US?
Harry’s legal representative said that while the couple are personally funding a private security team for their family, “this security service cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed while in the UK”.
His argument is that the US team does not have proper jurisdiction overseas or access to UK intelligence information that is needed to keep the Sussex family safe.
So what is Harry doing about his safety in the UK now?
In September 2021, he filed a lawsuit seeking judicial review of the Home Office’s decision.
His legal team said this course of action was taken “after another attempt at negotiation was rejected.”
They said the application for judicial review is an attempt to “challenge the decision-making underlying security procedures in the hope that it can be reassessed to provide demonstrable and necessary protection.”
With what threats does the couple see themselves in the UK?
In a statement, the legal representative said: “He remains sixth in line to the throne, has served two tours of military service in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats.” Although his role in the Institution has changed, his profile as a member of the royal family has remained the same. There is no threat to him or his family.”
Did the home office say anything about the judicial review application?
A government spokesman said: “The UK government’s security system is strict and proportionate. It has been our longstanding policy not to provide details of these arrangements. This can compromise their integrity and affect the safety of individuals.
“It would also be inappropriate to comment on the details of any litigation.”
Will the couple return to the UK if the issue is not resolved the way they would like?
A spokesman for the Duke said that due to the lack of what they consider necessary protection, “Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to their home.”
They insisted that the UK “will always be Prince Harry’s home”, adding that it is “a country where he wants his wife and children to be safe”.
But they added: “There is too much personal risk due to the lack of police protection.”