Prince Harry ‘exploring every available option’ to safely bring Meghan and children to UK amid security concerns
Prince Harry is reportedly grappling with significant security issues as he tries to bring his wife and children to the UK next week.
The Duke of Sussex faces hurdles over their protection and where they will stay during his planned five-day visit.
The Duchess of Sussex had planned to have Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet accompany her during the one-year countdown to the Invictus Games in Birmingham.
However, a major review by the Risk Management Board (RMB), which is an integral part of the process by which the Executive Committee for the Protection of the Royal Family and Public Personalities (Ravec) assesses security needs, has yet to take place, it learned on Friday.
It is understood the Duke and his security team have been working diligently behind the scenes to ensure the family’s visit can go ahead safely.
A spokesman for the Duke said: “The Duke continues to explore every option available to ensure the visit proceeds safely and to give his children the opportunity to enjoy the UK.”
The children are not expected to attend any public events, but Meghan is scheduled to join her husband on visits to Chelsea Royal Hospital in London and an Invictus event at the National Exhibition Center in Birmingham.
There are hopes that the king could be reunited with his youngest grandchildren for the first time in four years.
Seven-year-old Archie and five-year-old Lili last saw their grandfather in 2022 at Queen Elizabeth II’s home. They had seen it in person during Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Charles has offered the Sussexes accommodation at the royal residence, but it is understood the Royal Family has not yet received confirmation of acceptance.
It is believed the family will not benefit from UK taxpayer protection outside their royal residence.
The Duke’s spokesman added: “Prince Harry’s program in the UK includes both public and private engagements across the country.
“Safe accommodation is only one element of an effective preventive security plan because risk follows the person, not the place.
“The issue was never the accommodation. The issue is whether appropriate and proportionate protective security was provided for the entirety of the visit.”
“The independent Risk Management Board that Ravec himself decided was necessary last November has still not been established.
“It is therefore difficult to see how the proportionality of existing regulations can be reliably maintained without this independent assessment.”
Harry has faced a protracted legal battle with the Home Office over security arrangements for him and his family while in the UK after his level of protection changed when he resigned as working royal in 2020.
When the duke lost his Court of Appeal appeal against the Home Office last year, he expressed his hope for a reconciliation with his family in an interview with the BBC and said he would not speak to Charles due to his security case.
Harry added: “I’m going to bring my wife and kids back to the UK at this point and there’s going to be things they’re going to miss, you know, everything.”
The duke, who left the working monarchy six years ago, has unleashed a barrage of accusations against the King, his stepmother the Queen, the Prince of Wales’ brother and the Princess of Wales in his Oprah interview, Netflix documentary, interviews and autobiography Spare since moving to California.
A Government spokesman said: “The UK Government’s safeguarding system is stringent 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.”
