On Saturday, legal representatives for the Duke of Sussex published a letter saying he intends to pursue legal action against the Home Office due to their refusal to allow him to pay for his own police protection. Their letter said Harry does not feel safe returning to the UK without police protection, and stressed he wants to pay for it himself.
Following their step down from the Firm in January 2020, Meghan and Harry agreed would no longer use their ‘HRH’ titles and Harry was stripped of his military honours. Meanwhile, a ‘Royal and VIP Executive Committee’ comprising the Home Secretary, the Metropolitan Police’s royalty protection command chief and palace officials decided the Sussex’s 24-hour tax-payer funded protection could not continue given they were no longer working Royals living in Britain.
The statement from Harry’s lawyers released on Saturday claimed the Duke’s high profile could make put his security at risk. it read: “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. 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.
“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. In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home.”
