According to reports, Prince Harry is seeking a court appeal of a Home Office decision that prevents him from directly financing police security for himself and his family when in the United Kingdom. On Saturday, a legal spokeswoman for the Duke of Sussex said it was “essential to release a statement setting the facts straight” about Harry’s pleas for security after his judicial review application was submitted in September.
For the uninitiated, Harry and Meghan Markle have been without taxpayer-funded police protection since stepping down from their roles as prominent members of the royal family in 2020.
During a visit to Sandringham in January 2020, the Duke volunteered to personally pay for UK security for himself and his family, but this was turned down, according to the new statement.
In addition, the legal representative for Prince Harry stated, “Although the Duke and Duchess of Sussex fund a private security team for their family, that security is unable to replace the necessary police protection while in the United Kingdom. Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to their residence in the absence of such protection.”
According to the statement, the UK will always remain Prince Harry’s home and a country where he wants his wife and children to be safe, which is why he’s seeking a legal review of his right to pay for his family’s security while in the country.
While Prince Harry has returned to the United Kingdom twice since standing down from his royal duties, the Duchess of Sussex has not. Lilibet, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s seven-month-old daughter, has yet to meet her great-grandmother the Queen, grandfather the Prince of Wales, and other family members.
