Since the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle stepped back from royal life in early 2020, they relocated to the United States, and now, they claim they cannot return to the UK unless there is police protection to keep them safe.
Prince Harry Is Unable To Pay For Police Protection In The UK
A legal representative for the Prince Harry and Meghan issued a statement after newspaper the Mail on Sunday shared that Harry had sought a judicial review of a Home Office decision to stop him from paying for police protection when he lands in the United Kingdom.
Duke of Sussex Says He Can’t Bring His Family To Celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Without Police Protection
According to the statement, Prince Harry “inherited a security risk at birth, for life,” that his private security team “cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed whilst in the UK,” and if he does not have such protection “Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home.”
“Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life. Prince Harry 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. 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,” the statement continues.
“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.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received taxpayer-funded police protection when they were still with officials of the Royal family. Their legal representative said that the Duke of Sussex had offered to pay moving forward when they were in the UK but he wasn’t allowed to.
This announcement has damped any prospect of Prince Harry and his family returning to the United Kingdom for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The Queen has never met Lilibet, who was named after her, so it had been hoped that she would meet her this summer.
Prince Harry Just Wants His Family To Be Safe
The statement says that the Duke of Sussex had offered to pay for UK police protection when his future within the royal family in January 2020 was been negotiated, but his offer was “dismissed.” Harry remains “willing to cover the cost of security, as not to impose on the British taxpayer…The goal for Prince Harry has been simple – to ensure the safety of himself and his family while in the UK so his children can know his home country.”
The statement went on to say that when Harry returned to the UK in July 2021 to unveil the statue of his late mother, Princess Diana his “security was compromised due to the absence of police protection, whilst leaving a charity event.” In September, Prince Harry sought a judicial review of the decision over his security, which will look at how the decision was reached, and he hopes the decision will be “re-evaluated.”
“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. Prince Harry hopes that his petition – after close to two years of pleas for security in the UK – will resolve this situation,” the statement says. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have private security for their home in Montecito, California.
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