Prince Harry has reportedly won a Home Office review of his police security detail when visiting the UK.
The Duke of Sussex was furious when the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) removed his 24-hour armed protection in 2020 after he stepped down as a working royal.
But the Home Office has requested a new assessment on the threat posed to the Duke – the first for five years, according to The Sun.
The Duke lost a bitter legal battle against the Home Office in May over whether he was still entitled to taxpayer-funded police protection after stepping down as a working royal.
Prince Harry has reportedly won a Home Office review of his police security detail when visiting the UK.
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In a BBC interview after losing the court appeal to have his round-the-clock security restored, Harry claimed ‘interference’ by the Royal Household in the 2020 decision, which he said had seen him flip from the most at-risk royal to the least threatened status ‘overnight’.
Asked about which aspects of his current security arrangements led to him feeling unsafe, the Duke replied: ‘Everything.’
The prince, Meghan Markle and their children currently live in California, where their annual security bill reportedly runs to millions of dollars.
But the potential restoration of his security detail could pave the way for Harry and Meghan to spend more time in the UK.
The Duke of Sussex was furious when the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) removed his 24-hour armed protection in 2020 after he stepped down as a working royal.
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Harry said in the bombshell sit-down interview earlier this year that it would be ‘impossible’ to bring Meghan and his children back to the UK after losing a legal challenge over the withdrawal of his security detail.
The prince added that he still loved the UK ‘despite what some people in that country have done’ and added that it was ‘really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland’.
However, the restoration of Harry’s 24-hour armed police protection could encourage the royal to bring his children, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, across the pond.
That could allow them to spend some time with their grandfather, King Charles, who has not seen them since Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.
If the prince’s security detail is fully restored, then the expense would be covered by taxpayers whenever Harry is on British soil.
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While the Home Office routinely do not comment on high-profile individuals’ security details, it is rumoured that the process is already advanced.
Statements are reported to have been taken from police, government officials and Harry’s team.
The latter are expected to mount a robust case for having his 24-hour armed security restored, with Harry having reportedly written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood asking for a risk reassessment after she took over the role.
Sources suggest a decision by RAVEC – the body that decides which royals and public figures get official, taxpayer-funded protective security – could be made as early as next month.
If the prince’s security detail is fully restored, then the expense would be covered by taxpayers whenever Harry is on British soil.
At present, Harry is required to inform the Met Police 30 days prior to arriving in the UK, with each visit reviewed on a case-by-case basis.