One of the burly bodyguards escorting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle around New York City has claimed to work for the Department of Homeland Security.
The bodyguard, dressed in a smart grey suit and black wingtips that had been resoled with comfortable sneaker soles, was spotted outside the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan on Thursday between jaunts escorting the couple.
The man told a DailyMail.com reporter that he was with DHS, but didn’t specify which agency, leaving possible federal involvement in the couple’s visit to New York a mystery.
Harry and Meghan’s tour on Thursday included visits with Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Kathy Hochul at the 9/11 memorial and One World Trade Center – where multiple New York Police Department officers were spotted – as well as a trip to UN Plaza, where the general assembly is in session, for a suspected meeting with US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
DailyMail.com has contacted the NYPD to determine whether the officers were on patrol at the September 11 memorial, or whether they were standing guard to protect Harry and Meghan.
One of the burly bodyguards (left) escorting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle around New York City has claimed to work for the Department of Homeland Security
The man (right) told a DailyMail.com reporter that he was with DHS, but didn’t specify which agency, leaving possible federal involvement in the couple’s visit to New York a mystery
The bodyguard accompanying Harry and Meghan had a badge pinned to the lapel of his suit
Multiple NYPD officers were also spotted standing guard at the September 11 memorial as they passed through. It is unclear whether they were there to provide the couple with protection
The Carlyle Hotel: New York City’s star-studded ‘tower of power’ that once hosted Princess Diana, JFK and Michael Jackson
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are far from the first big names to grace the floors of £1,300-a-night The Carlyle Hotel in New York City.
Meghan and Harry were pictured enjoying drinks at Bemelmans, the swanky 1947 piano bar that has been frequented by Bono, Mariah Carey, John Mayer and Billy Joel.
Princess Diana was known to be a regular guest at The Carlyle, known as New York’s ‘Tower of Power’ which enjoys spectacular roof top views of Central Park.
And other royals, including Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have also stayed there in 2005 and 2014 respectively.
Designed in Art Deco style and built in 1930, today The Carlyle boasts 190 rooms and suites.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge pictured arriving at The Carlyle ahead of their 2014 New York trip
A stone’s throw away from the city’s famous Madison Avenue, The Carlyle boasts of offering its elite clientele the perfect blend of ‘discretion and grace’.
The historical landmark has seen a wealth of stars, celebrities and world leaders pass through its halls over the past 80 years.
Woody Allen was known to have played clarinet in the cafe, while guests have reported brushing shoulders with Steve Jobs, David Bowie, Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger while using the lifts.
At least six former U.S presidents called on The Carlyle as a home away from home, with insiders dubbing the luxury hotel the New York White House as a result.
President John F. Kennedy even reportedly snuck Marilyn Monroe into his 34th floor room through the service entrance and backdoors of the hotel.
DHS did not immediately respond to multiple inquiries from DailyMail.com. The federal department encompasses a number of agencies with sworn police services, including the Secret Service, Federal Protective Service, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
In 2021, its budget was nearly $50 billion, paid for with taxpayer money.
The Secret Service typically only protects visiting heads of state and their immediate families within the US, while lesser dignitaries fall under the protection of the State Department, according to former Secret Service Agent Jonathan Wackrow.
Wackrow said that the UN general assembly had stretched the resources of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, which has protected Prince Harry during past official visits to the US when he was a working Royal.
He said that it was possible that HSI or other agents from another DHS agency were supplementing the State Department’s protective efforts during the busy UN session.
‘Right now, under the United Nations General Assembly, it’s all hands on deck for federal protection,’ Wackrow told DailyMail.com in a phone interview.
‘HSI have been brought in to provide supplemental protection… you may have this agent from HSI supplementing that detail,’ he said of the Duke and Duchess’ protective team.
Wackrow noted that, although they have stepped down from official duties, Harry and Meghan are still family members of the British head of state, and thus might reasonably expect some government protection while in a high threat environment, such as Manhattan during the general assembly.
‘While they are not the head of state for the United Kingdom, they are part of the head of state’s family and at times such as summits, global gatherings, it is warranted they receive some level of protection, even if it is taxpayer-funded protection,’ he said.
‘If something were to happen in New York, and the government were not extending protection to the Duke and Duchess, that would be a major diplomatic incident,’ said Wackrow.
The couple is in New York to attend Saturday’s Global Citizen Live event at Central Park to encourage equal access to COVID-19 vaccines.
It was their first joint outing since the birth of their daughter Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor in June.
The Secret Service typically only protects visiting heads of state and their families within the US, while lesser dignitaries fall under the protection of the State Department
The mystery bodyguard (left) was dressed in a smart grey suit and black wingtips that had been resoled with comfortable sneaker soles
Prince Harry is seen talking to a group of people in the corner of Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel last night
Prince Harry spent about 45 minutes with a group of people and left with a notebook and iPad around between 6pm and 6:30pm
Harry and a group of people were seen in The Carlyle Hotel bar Thursday night. It’s unknown who they were or where Meghan was
Proud dad! Harry carries laptop bag with ‘Archie’s papa’ embossed on it
Prince Harry was pictured coming out of United Nations Plaza on Thursday holding a laptop bag with the words ‘Archie’s papa’ embossed on the side during his tour around New York City with Meghan.
The proud dad spent Wednesday night and Thursday with his wife Meghan in New York City while the kids – Archie and Lilibet – stayed back in Los Angeles.
But Harry made carry a little memento of his son with him during his highly publicized tour of New York City, which is the Sussexes’ first public trip to the Big Apple since their permanent move from England to Meghan’s native California in March 2020.
Coming out out of the United Nations building on Thursday, Prince Harry held his laptop bag with the words ‘Archie’s papa’ emblazoned on it
Harry carries laptop bag with ‘Archie’s papa’ embossed on the side during tour around New York city with Meghan
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle arrive at the World Trade Center Observatory in Manhattan Thursday morning
The picture was taken Thursday afternoon after their visit to United Nations for a 40-minute meeting where they had an ‘important discussion’ on COVID-19, racial justice and mental health with US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Thomas-Greenfield described the meeting as ‘wonderful’ as she shared snaps of the trio chatting on sofas in a lounge area and then posing in front of UN branding.
Thursday’s UN visit was sandwiched between a somber, morning trip to the 9/11 Memorial at One World Trade Center.
Their first stop Thursday morning was at the observatory at One World Trade Center, where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were accompanied by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, his wife, Chirlane McCray, and their son, Dante de Blasio.
The 37-year-old prince and Meghan, 40, also paid their respects at the nearby September 11 memorial and stopped by the adjoining museum.
At around 12.30pm the couple again left the lavish $1,300-a-night Carlyle Hotel, where they are staying, for a mystery meeting near the UN.
Around 2pm they were spotted leaving 50 UN Plaza, where they are thought to have met with US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Meghan clutched what appeared to be a black leather laptop case which matched her dark outfit, sunglasses and face mask as she and Harry exited the residential building close to the United Nations Global Headquarters and clambered into their waiting cars.
The details of the Sussexes’ trip to the Big Apple are a closely guarded secret but they were thought to be meeting the UN official in the residential building, which houses the lavish 37-floor penthouse which she calls home.
The couple stepped down from royal duties in early 2020 and are living in California with their two children.
They had previously agreed to pay for their own security personnel – made up of former SAS soldiers – at a cost of £4 million a year.
But Prince Charles continued to pay for their security from April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021, according to financial statements obtained by the Washington Post, which showed he paid his sons and their families $6.3 million.
It did not break down the amount by family.
A spokesman for Charles’ office, Clarence House, said in a statement that ‘the Prince of Wales allocated a substantial sum’ to Harry and Meghan to ‘support them’ with their transition in stepping down as senior members of the British royal family and relocating to California.
‘That funding ceased in the summer of last year,’ the office said and the couple are now financially independent.
Yesterday, Harry was pictured in New York City’s iconic Upper East Side Bemelmans Bar in the lobby of $1,300-a-night Carlyle Hotel for a second night in a row on Thursday – but this time, without Meghan.
With his security by his side, Harry blended into the crowded bar arriving without ceremony shortly after 5.30pm to the melodic background of a jazz pianist.
There was no sign of Meghan as he sat in a discrete corner of the banquette, where his security approached an older couple from Brooklyn and asked them not to take pictures.
Harry spoke animatedly, gesturing frequently, with a glass of white wine set before him at what appeared to be a business meeting.
It’s unknown at this point who the middle-aged men and woman seen in DailyMail.com’s photos were. The two men in the photos were dressed in black suits and the woman wore a white blazer.
After about 45 minutes, Harry left clutching an iPad and notebook, shook hands and walked out with his security guard.
The unidentified bodyguard shadows Harry and Meghan as they arrive at the World Trade Center for a meeting with Mayor de Blasio
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle arrive at the World Trade Center Observatory
The couple is in New York to attend Saturday’s Global Citizen Live event at Central Park to encourage equal access to COVID-19 vaccines
A source told DailyMail.com, ‘We get everyone in here. She (Meghan) was in last night. Bill Clinton sat here and spoke to people for three hours. He’s a people person. This guy [Harry] not so much. I don’t blame him.’
This is the Sussexes’ first public trip to New York City since their permanent move from England to Meghan’s native California in March 2020.
The couple has been staying in the pricey Manhattan hotel for the duration of their four-day trip.
Self proclaimed eco-warriors Meghan and Harry have motored around New York City in convoy of THREE gas-guzzling SUVs for at least THREE photo ops – and meeting at the UN
Self proclaimed eco-warriors Prince Harry and Meghan Markle traipsed around New York City for a day packed with celebrity photo ops in a convoy of three gas-guzzling SUVs.
The woke pair first traveled to the One World Trade Center early this morning where they posed for photos with Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Bill de Blasio before heading down to the 9/11 Memorial.
From there, they made a pit stop back to the luxury Carlyle Hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side where the top-tier suite costs up to a staggering $8,800 a night. The couple are staying there for the duration of their four-day trip and were seen dining in the swanky hotel restaurant Wednesday night, after arriving into the Big Apple from their home in California.
Shortly after midday, they then traveled to the United Nations for a 40-minute meeting where they had an ‘important discussion’ on COVID-19, racial justice and mental health with US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
They are scheduled to appear at Saturday’s Global Citizen concert in Central Park which focuses on vaccine equity. It is currently unclear how they will spend Friday.
The luxury convoy carting them around the city, which included at least two Range Rovers and one dark SUV, has CO2 emissions of 235g/km per car. The couple would have traveled a minimum of 20 miles across New York City.
It’s not clear whether Harry and Meghan traveled to New York City private plane or commercial airline from their home in Montecito, where they have left Archie and three-month-old Lilibet.
A convoy of thre SUVs, including a Range Rover and a dark black SUV, carried the couple across New York City
Harry and Meghan are rumored to be staying at the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan, and are in New York for three days
The couple’s latest environment gaffe comes just four months after Harry said climate change was one of ‘the most pressing issues we are facing’.
Speaking to Oprah Winfrey on Apple TV, Harry said: ‘With kids growing up in today’s world, pretty depressing, right, depending on where you live, your home country is either on fire, it’s either underwater, houses or forests are being flattened.’
But despite his lecture on climate change, in August Harry took a millionaire friend’s $45 million private jet home from Aspen, Colorado to Santa Barbara after attending a celebrity polo match.
The two-hour flight, which could have emitted as much as ten tonnes of CO2.
Royal author Tom Quinn said after Harry’s August private jet trip: ‘This appears to be enormously hypocritical, given all his talk about climate change.
‘Harry seems to see himself as someone who guides the rest of the world and that his own behaviour isn’t relevant. It is a huge blind spot.’
The controversy emerged as Prince Charles issued his robust challenge to big business to join his crusade for action ‘before it’s finally too late’.
The heir to the throne says that humanity’s ‘only hope’ is for business chiefs to join world leaders in an ‘epic battle’ to avert ‘climate catastrophe’.
In August Harry took a millionaire friend’s $61 million private jet home from Aspen, Colorado to Santa Barbara after attending a celebrity polo match
Writing exclusively for the Daily Mail, the Prince of Wales said: ‘We now have no alternative – we have to do all we possibly can in the short time left to us to avoid the enormous climate catastrophe that has already begun to show its face in the most terrifying ways.’
After flying to London in July, Harry returned to Los Angeles where he made use of an ultra-exclusive and lavish private airport service called The Private Suite.
It sent a luxury gas-guzzling Chevrolet SUV to whisk him away when he landed at LAX from London earlier this month.
The PS service, which has been described as ‘the most VIP way through the airport’, is one step up from first class and one step down from using a private jet.
Members, who sign up for $4,500 a year and then pay another $3,450 per trip, are invited to exit the plane on their own private stairs before any other passenger, then are loaded into the back of their own SUV and driven to a private terminal where they get to collect their luggage and go through passport control in splendid isolation.
The PS website describes itself as ‘a private airport experience’ and says: ‘PS reimagines the airport experience for the seasoned and discerning traveler.’
Harry previously attracted criticism for taking four private jet flights in 11 days, including to a climate change summit in Sicily.
That summer, Harry and Meghan took Elton John’s private plane from Ibiza, where they had been holidaying with Archie, to the singer’s home in Nice, France.
Harry arrived at One World Trade Center at 8:14am, shortly after Mayor de Blasio and Governor Kathy Hochul
The matter raised a storm of controversy, particularly as Harry launched his ‘eco’ travel initiative Travalyst soon afterwards. Sir Elton loyally raged about ‘spurious’ criticism and said that he had paid to carbon offset the impact of the trip.
Later that year, Harry claimed that ’99 per cent’ of his flights were commercial after taking a scheduled flight to Amsterdam to promote Travalyst, a scheme that promotes environmentally-friendly tourism.
Speaking at the event, the prince refused to apologize for private flights to Italy, France and Spain, saying: ‘I spend 99 per cent of my life travelling the world by commercial.
‘Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity [to fly privately] based on a unique circumstance to ensure that my family are safe – it’s as simple as that. For me it’s about balance. It’s not a decision I would want to take, but if I have to do that, I will ensure that I balance out the impact that I have.’
At the time, Harry dismissed concerns over his carbon footprint by insisting that he ‘offsets’ his emissions by donating to renewable energy incentives and planting trees.