Prince Harry has launched a legal bid against the British Government in the interest of his family, whose safety is in jeopardy should they return to the UK at present.
The Prince is coming out fighting after it was ruled that he would have to pay for his police protection privately whenever he and his family, wife Meghan Markle and their children Archie (aged three) and Lilibet (seven months) travelled to the UK.
Per Harpers BAZAAR UK, the Prince would love to bring his family home but he is currently unable to due to the fact that his current private police protection in the US cannot access UK intelligence information or jurisdiction which would better inform them of imminent danger.
The Prince, who began paying for his own private security when he and Meghan stepped back from their roles as senior royal family members, says there is an increasing number of threats being made towards them should they decide to return to the UK, thus requiring a multi-faceted security approach.
“The UK will always be Prince Harry’s home and a country he wants his wife and children to be safe in… With the lack of police protection comes too great a personal risk,” a spokesperson told Harper’s BAZAAR.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex personally fund a private security team for their family, yet that security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed whilst in the UK. In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home.”
It’s understood when Prince Harry returned to the UK in mid-2021 alone, his car was aggressively chased by paparazzi and he was “shaken” by the experience.
“Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life,” the Prince’s legal spokesperson continued.
“He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats.”
They added that his decision to step back from his “senior” role within the family meant his security presence would no longer be funded by tax payers, which he accepts and now funds himself, but he still requires information from the British home office in order for his own security to adequately protect them.
“While his role within the institution has changed, his profile as a member of the Royal Family has not. Nor has the threat to him and his family.”
It was hoped that Harry and Meghan would return to the UK in June for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, however if they are unable to attain a sufficient level of security for the visit, the trip cannot take place.
The move points out a troubling double standard from the British government, who continue to provide Prince Andrew with paid police protection despite the fact that he has also withdrawn from his role within the royal family after being accused of sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre when she was a minor.
Last week, Buckingham Palace released a statement confirming that Andrew’s “military affiliations and royal patronages have been returned to The Queen”.
“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen,” the statement concluded.
Women’s rights activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu took to Twitter to share her disgust at the blatant inconsistency in treatment of Prince Andrew and Prince Harry.
“I think ‘certain people’ are trying to throw Prince Harry under the Bus to distract from Royal Family shameful & embarrassing news cycle of Prince Andrew after all these ‘negotiations’ with Home office happened in 2021,” she wrote.
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