Prince Harry’s security arrangements while in the UK have been reviewed after he wrote to the Home Secretary asking for a new security review – and the ruling is expected in the coming weeks
Prince Harry is confident he has finally won his fight to have his automatic armed police protection restored when he visits the UK, according to sources close to the Sussexes. A ruling, reportedly thought to be in the Duke of Sussex’s favour, is set to be announced in the coming weeks after a lengthy battle to have his taxpayer-funded security while in the UK restored.
In May, Harry lost his case at the Court of Appeal against the Home Office to have his automatic police protection restored after his security arrangements when in the UK changed when he and wife Meghan quit their royal roles and the UK.
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However, last month it emerged that his security arrangements were being reviewed after he wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood shortly after her appointment and submitted a formal request for a risk assessment to the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec).
And now a source close to the Sussexes told the Mail On Sunday that following the new risk assessment: “It’s now a formality. Sources at the Home Office have indicated that security is now nailed-on for Harry.”
During his previous High Court case, Harry argued that his security situation in the UK made it “impossible” for him to safely bring his wife Meghan and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, back to his home country.
In an interview after the Court of Appeal handed down the judgement last May, he told the BBC: “For the time being, it’s impossible for me to take my family back to the UK safely. I will continue on with a life of public service. So I will always support the charities and the people that mean so much to me.
“I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point, and the things that they’re going to miss is, well, everything you know. I love my country I always have done, despite what some people in that country have done. So you know? I miss the UK, I miss parts of the UK.
“Of course I do. And I think that’s it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.” At present, Harry must inform the Metropolitan Police a month before travelling to the UK, who look at his security needs on a case-by-case basis. But his lawyers have previously argued this has put his life “at stake”.
In October it emerged that a a ‘known’ stalker of Harry came within yards of him during his visit to the UK last September. They were reportedly found hiding in the toilets of a swanky London hotel just minutes before he was due to arrive for an event.
It came after the same woman is said to have been “body blocked” by Harry’s security just days later during his trip to the UK last month. A source added: “If you knew about the kind of threats Harry and his children have been getting then you would understand why he doesn’t want to bring the kids over until police protection is granted.”
A spokesman for the Sussexes declined to comment. A government spokesman said: ‘The UK Government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.’
Source: Mirror
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