Prince Harry Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Taking legal action. Prince Harry applied for a judicial review regarding a previous Home Office decision, in which he is unable to personally fund police protection for his family while in England.
“Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life. He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats,” the 37-year-old Duke of Sussex’s legal spokesperson said in a Saturday, January 15, statement. “While his role within the Institution has changed, his profile as a member of the royal family has not. Nor has the threat to him and his family.”
Harry and Meghan Markle — whom he wed in May 2018 — previously announced in January 2020 that they were stepping down as senior members of the British royal family. Upon their decision, the couple and their son Archie, now 2, relocated to Montecito, California, where they later welcomed daughter Lilibet in June 2021.
“Harry doesn’t have any regrets about leaving the royal family whatsoever and is really happy in Montecito,” an insider told Us Weekly exclusively in January 2021. “He and Meghan are enjoying their new life in California — being a normal family and having the freedom to make their own decisions without anyone watching over them.”
After their California move, the BetterUp CIO personally funded a private security team for himself, the former Tig founder, 40, and their two children.
“That security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed whilst in the UK,” the statement added. “In absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return home.”
After the military veteran and the Suits alum stepped down from their royal roles, Harry offered to personally pay for U.K. police protection in January 2020, which was dismissed, according to the Saturday statement.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
“He remains willing to cover the cost of security, as not to impose on the British taxpayer. As is widely known, others who have left public office and have an inherent threat risk receive police protection at no cost to them,” the lengthy note read. “The goal for Prince Harry has been simple — to ensure the safety of himself and his family while in the UK so his children can know his country.”
The statement alleged that during Harry’s last trip across the pond in July 2021 — to unveil a statue of his late mother, Princess Diana, outside Kensington Palace — his security was compromised since he did not have police escorts.
The statement — which the British royals have yet to address — further noted that Harry’s attempts at negotiations have also been rejected before he first sought a judicial review in September 2021 to challenge the decision “in the hopes that this could be reevaluated for the obvious and necessary protection required.”
“The UK will always be Prince Harry’s home and country he wants his wife and children to be safe in,” the statement concluded. “With the lack of police protection, comes too great a personal risk. Prince Harry hopes that his petition — after close to two years of pleas for security in the UK — will resolve this situation.”
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