Controversy over police protection
Prince Harry fears for his family
Prince Harry calls for police protection in the UK.
© imago/ZUMA Wire
Prince Harry fears for his safety in his home country. The dispute over police protection for the Royal employs a court.
Prince Harry (37) wants to visit his friends and family in his home country. Without police protection, Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson (95) apparently feels “not safe” there. According to media reports, his legal team said this before the High Court in London.
The Royal’s legal representatives said that he wanted to visit Great Britain with his children Archie (2) and Lilibet (eight months) and his wife Duchess Meghan (40). However, they cannot travel to Harry’s homeland “because it is too dangerous”. According to the lawyers, the security measures that were in place during his last visit in summer 2021 did not ensure that Prince Harry felt protected, British media reports.
“It’s his home and always will be”
According to his legal team, the Duke of Sussex “naturally” wants to visit his homeland “to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities he loves so much. Above all, this is his home and always will be.” .
The 37-year-old was briefly in London last year to unveil a memorial statue for his mother Diana (1961-1997). He also attended an event as a patron of the Wellchild charity. According to some reports, his car was being followed by photographers as he left the event.
Prince Harry later apparently wrote a letter to the Home Office. It allegedly said a court would be called if Harry’s family were not given police protection while in the UK, which the Sussexes said they would pay for themselves.
decision on a case-by-case basis
Prince Harry and his wife Duchess Meghan stepped down from their royal duties two years ago. They live in the USA with their two children. According to British media reports, what the security precautions for Harry look like when visiting home is apparently decided on a case-by-case basis by experts from the Home Office. Apparently, the special circumstances of his trip are judged in each case.
That’s probably not enough for the Queen’s grandson: the journalist Kate Mansey released a statement on Twitter in January: “Prince Harry inherited a security risk with his birth and that for a lifetime,” it says. He is still sixth in line to the throne, “has twice served in combat in Afghanistan and in recent years his family has been exposed to verifiable threats from neo-Nazis and extremists.” His role within the monarchy has changed, but he remains a member of the royal family and faces threats, the statement said. The Sussexes’ private security team cannot provide the protection required in the UK. Therefore, without protection from law enforcement officers, the family would not be able to return to Harry’s home country for appointments or events.
representative of the Ministry of the Interior now declared, however, according to the BBC in court that Prince Harry had failed to show the decision-makers and experts “the required degree of respect”. It also said the offer to pay for police protection was “irrelevant” because it “is not available on a privately funded basis.”