Britain’s Prince Harry has resorted to legal action against the UK government to overturn a decision preventing him from paying for his own police protection while visiting his home country.
Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson, who is sixth in line to the British throne, wants to bring his wife Meghan and their two young children to the UK on a visit, a legal representative of the Duke of Sussex said.
The prince believes his private security guards who protect his family in the US lack adequate jurisdiction abroad and access to UK intelligence information vital to ensuring the Sussexes’ safety.
Prince Harry wants his family to be protected by British police when they holiday in the UK – and is willing to pay for this himself, rather than expect taxpayers to foot the bill.
The former working royal lost his taxpayer-funded security after stepping back from royal duties in 2020.
“The UK will always be Prince Harry’s home and a country he wants his wife and children to be safe in,” the legal representative for the duke said in a statement.
“With the lack of police protection, comes too great a personal risk.
“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,” the spokesperson added.
The couple announced they were stepping back from royal duties in January 2020 and had initially hoped to continue representing the Queen from the background.
However, after the monarch called a crisis summit of top royals at her Sandringham residence in Norfolk to discuss the “Megxit” deal, she refused to accept the half-in half-out approach tabled by her grandson and his wife.
At the meeting, also attended by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge, Harry agreed he would no longer carry out official duties on behalf of his grandmother.
