Prince Harry wants to bring his wife Meghan and children Archie and Lilibet to the UK next month but will not receive any taxpayer-funded security on the trip
Prince Harry has promised to explore “every available option” so that he can bring Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to the UK next month.
The Duke of Sussex wants to bring his wife Meghan and their two children to his home country as he carries out a series of engagements related to his Invictus Games, which is being held in Birmingham next year.
It is reported that the UK trip will include visiting Athorp Estate where Harry’s late mother Princess Diana is buried and potentially seeing King Charles, who has only seen Archie a handful of times and met Lilibet just once.
But it is believed the Home Office’s Royal and VIP Excutive Committee (RAVEC) will not give him enhanced taxpayer-funded security for the visit, leading to claims that Harry was reconsidering bringing his family on the trip. It is understood that Harry was offered a place to stay at a royal residence during the trip.
In a statement released today, Harry’s spokesman said: “Prince Harry ’s programme in the United Kingdom includes both public and private engagements across the country. Safe accommodation is only one element of an effective protective security plan because risk follows the person, not the place.
“The issue has never been accommodation. The issue is whether appropriate and proportionate protective security is being provided throughout the entirety of the visit.
“The independent Risk Management Board that RAVEC itself decided was necessary last November has still not taken place. It is therefore difficult to understand how the proportionality of the current arrangements can credibly be maintained without that independent assessment.
“The Duke continues to explore every available option to enable the visit to proceed safely and to give his children the opportunity to enjoy the UK.”
In recent years, Harry has engaged in a protracted legal battle with the British government over the decision to strip him of taxpayer-funded security when in the UK.
The Duke’s access to police protection was removed following his and Meghan’s decision in 2020 to quit his royal role and settle in the United States.
He first launched a case at the High Court, which he lost last year, and then raised the issue at the Court of Appeal which refused to reverse the decision.
Rather than being flatly denied police protection, Harry was informed he would be subject to a bespoke arrangement that requires him to give the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) 30 days’ notice of any planned visit to the UK alongside his schedule.
Yet, the Duke still pursued the matter, writing to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to request a review. In December, he was granted a new risk assessment, which he was told would take “a matter of weeks”. It has now been completed but Harry has not been informed of the outcome
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