Now living outside the British royal family, Prince Harry tried unsuccessfully to obtain police protection in the United Kingdom, as revealed by the Telegraph on Sunday October 16, 2022.
- Prince Harry no longer has security service in the UK
- Prince Harry tried to ensure his safety on British soil to no avail.
- Prince Harry believes his rank should entitle him to state protection
- Prince Harry sued the UK Home Office
- Prince Harry’s claims have been rejected by the Official Committee for the Security of the Royal Family
Youngest son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, Prince Harry was accustomed to having his safety ensured at all times since his earliest childhood. It’s very simple, he couldn’t move without an army of bodyguards being present at his side to protect him against possible attacks. However, everything has changed for him for a few years. Indeed, shortly after marrying Meghan Markle, Prince William’s little brother and his wife made the highly controversial decision to leave the British royal family, moving away from the UK. From now on, the couple resides with their children in California, near Los Angeles.
No longer being a member of the British Royal Family, and no longer living in Great BritainPrince Harry no longer has to fulfill the obligations incumbent on every member of the British royal family, but he also no longer benefits from the privileges that were linked to his rank of Duke of Sussex. This therefore includes the safety device which accompanied him throughout his life, and for which he never paid a penny. Now Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have to keep themselves safe, by paying their own bodyguard. If the youngest son of King Charles III resolved to do so on American soil, he nevertheless tried to obtain police protection on British soilas revealed by the Telegraph on Sunday, October 16, 2022.
Prince Harry tried to pressure a government adviser
In fact, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle believe that their status should allow them to obtain protection from the British state. At the beginning, the couple offered to self-fund the armed bodyguards who will take care of ensuring their safety in the UK, with the aim of not placing the cost of this close protection on the British taxpayers. However, the English Home Secretary refused this proposalstating that the police were not “firearms”. Prince Harry therefore decided to sue the Home Office, explaining that he did not feel “safe” United Kingdom.
“Prince Harry inherited a lifelong security risk. He remains sixth in the throne, has served two combat missions in Afghanistan and, in recent years, his family has been the subject of well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats“, indicated a legal representative of the Duke of Sussex. In parallel, the husband of Meghan Markle would have tried to circumvent the British legal system, by lobbying a senior government adviser. Failing a response, he would then have turned to Sir Mark Sedwill, who served as cabinet secretary and national security adviser. The Official Committee for the Security of the Royal Family finally denied Prince Harry’s request on February 28, 2020. It now remains to be seen how Prince William’s brother intends to ensure the protection of his family on British soil in the future.