Prince Harry’s security in UK under government review
The Duke of Sussex’s access to security while visiting the UK is being reviewed, sources told the BBC.
In May, Prince Harry lost a lawsuit to restore police protection while visiting the UK.
In an interview with the BBC following the decision, he said it was not safe to bring his family back to the country of his birth because he could not guarantee their safety.
It is now understood the Home Office review will look at whether he will automatically receive full police protection on his visits to the UK, even though he is no longer a working member of the royal family.
King Charles had only met the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s children once before.
The last time she saw her grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, was during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.
Prince Harry’s security was downgraded after he stepped back from front-line royal duties in 2020 and moved to the US with the Duchess of Sussex.
In his legal battle earlier this yearHe objected to the decision-making process used by a committee called the Protection of Royal Family and Public Personalities (Ravec), which authorizes the security of senior royals on behalf of the Home Office.
Ravec concluded that as Prince Harry will be an infrequent visitor to the UK, his security needs will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
But in doing so, the duke’s legal team argued that Ravec did not properly reassess the threats he faced when assessing his situation in 2020.
His lawyers had argued he was “singled out” because of “inferior treatment”, but the court ruling confirmed there was nothing unlawful about how the decision was made.
A “sense of grievance” over how the decision to change Prince Harry’s security was reached was not a basis for a successful appeal, a senior judge has ruled.
This decision meant that the duke’s security fell outside the automatic, high-level protection afforded to senior royals.
Speaking to BBC News Shortly afterwards in California, Prince Harry said he was “devastated” to lose his appeal.
He also said any prospect of a return to the UK for him and his family was “impossible” in light of the Court of Appeal rulings, adding: “I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”
Buckingham Palace said at the time: “All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and rigorously by the courts, and the same conclusion has been reached each time.”
The process of reassessing the Duke’s threat level is currently ongoing and a decision is expected next month, The Sun newspaper reported.
A government spokesman said: “The UK Government’s safeguarding system is rigorous and proportionate.
“It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information about these arrangements as doing so could compromise their integrity and impact the safety of individuals.”
