Prince Harry has said that the UK is too dangerous for him and his family to visit without state protection. He is now taking legal action against the government to be granted permission to pay privately for police security while in the UK.
‘The UK will always be Prince Harry’s home and a country he wants his wife and children to be safe in,’ his legal spokesperson said in a statement. ‘With the lack of police protection comes too great a personal risk.’
Harry and Meghan lost tax-funded police protection when they stepped back from their duties as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2020. When they first rushed to the States, they were loaned security by the actor Tyler Perry because the Firm would no longer help them. They now pay for private security in the US.
But this protection isn’t replicable in the UK because, under our gun laws, neither private security nor retired police officers can be armed: Only serving police officers can. Additionally, the UK police force has a network of intelligence that can identify potential threats more effectively than private security ever could. Without this, the Sussexes are susceptible to danger.
For years, Harry, Megan and their children have been subject to horrifying, extremist threats. They are among the most contentious royals and the attitude towards the family in the UK is undeniably hostile. A cursory glance at the public and media reaction to Harry attempting to hire police security exemplifies this: thousands of damning Tweets, endless front pages.
When Harry wanted to return home in September, he offered to pay privately for Scotland Yard protection at the Sandringham summit where senior royals were meeting to debate his and Meghan’s exit strategy, but his offer was dismissed.
When he returned to London last July to unveil a statue of Princess Diana, his car was reportedly chased by photographers. The parallels of this to his own mother’s death are unnerving and beg the question: Are we going to the worst happen before taking action?
Due to pandemic rules and the family’s own fear, seven-month-old Lilibet still hasn’t met her great-grandmother the Queen or her grandfather the Prince of Wales face to face. With the controversy surrounding Harry and Meghan’s choice to exit royal life, it’s simply too risky for their young family to return to the UK without the adequate measures in place.
Harry and his family will now face potentially lengthy legal proceedings to determine whether they’ll be allowed to pay for police protection by the Home Office. This is thought to be the first occasion modern times when a member of the royal family has gone to court with the government.
But nobody else has ever really needed to before, because they haven’t been ousted without care or security. Harry’s spokesperson explained: ‘As is widely known, others who have left public office and have an inherent threat risk receive police protection at no cost to them.’
Regardless, this isn’t about money, or pride, or principle: ‘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.’
READ MORE: What Can Harry And Megan Expect in 2022?
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