Questions remain over Harry and Meghan’s security arrangements just weeks before the couple are to return to the UK, six years after they dramatically quit royal life and moved to the US.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are understood to be moving back to Britain this month in time for their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to start school in September. The family are expected to settle in a non-royal residence outside London, with speculation they could choose the Cotswolds, Oxfordshire or Gloucestershire.
The King’s second son has long cited security concerns as a key reason why he and his family could not return to the UK, even on holiday, and who will fund their security remains uncertain.
Prime minister Andy Burnham said on Thursday that the couple’s security arrangements were “a private matter” but did not rule out taxpayer funding upon their return, while the Home Office says it does not provide “detailed information on security arrangements”.
The Sussexes are currently not eligible for taxpayer-funded protection by armed police while in the UK, other than when in royal residences.
Last May, Harry lost a protracted legal challenge against the Home Office over his UK security arrangements, claiming his life was at stake because of a ruling that he would no longer be given the same degree of personal protective security when visiting. He also claimed he had been “singled out” for “inferior treatment”.
But Court of Appeal Judge Sir Geoffrey Vos said he “could not say that the Duke’s sense of grievance translated into a legal argument for the challenge” to the decision. Sir Geoffrey said the decision was “understandable and perhaps predictable”.
After losing, the duke said he could not “see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK”.
It came after the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) decided in 2020, when he stepped down as a working royal, that he should receive a reduced degree of security protection when in the country.
Then last October, Harry wrote to home secretary Shabana Mahmood asking for a re-evaluation of his security when in the UK.
Ravec had been due to carry out the review in March this year, but at the end of June, he was still waiting for a decision by the risk management board, part of the process by which Ravec makes its judgement, according to The Times.
The committee’s membership includes the Home Office, but it’s understood Ms Mahmood will not take part in any decision.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.”
The prime minister said: “This is a private matter. It’s a matter for Harry and for Meghan and we wish them well in the move that they’re making.”
Harry and Meghan left the UK and first moved to Canada, before settling in Montecito, California, after stepping back as senior royals in 2020.
The duke and six other well-known people are due to find out on Friday how many millions of pounds they will have to pay in legal costs to the Daily Mail’s publisher after their failed High Court case.
The group, also including Sir Elton John and Sadie Frost, sued Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over allegations of unlawful information-gathering. ANL strongly denied the claims, which were dismissed in their entirety last month.
In a written ruling expected on Friday, Mr Justice Nicklin is due to give the size of the initial payment the group must make to ANL. The company has asked for more than £9.9m as an interim payment, towards costs totalling £50m.
The palace has remained tight-lipped about the couple’s move but the King is said to have been “caught off-guard” by the news, finding out only three days before it was made public.
The King is said to be glad to be able to spend more time with the Sussex family, but remains adamant they will not be working royals.
However, PR and crisis expert Mark Borkowski warned the Sussexes’ return could backfire for the couple.
“The royal family will push against this big time. They will not want them back in the camp,” he said. “I don’t believe this is reconciliation with the royal household at all.”
The Sussexes are keeping their homes in California and Portugal, and the duchess will continue to run her lifestyle brand, As Ever.
Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt suggested William would be “apoplectic” at the couple’s return.
The future king is estranged from his brother after Harry levelled a barrage of accusations against him, Kate, the King and Queen Camilla. The brothers first reportedly fell out in 2018.
Harry had claimed in his memoir, Spare, that William had physically attacked him in a row.
Another former royal correspondent, Jennie Bond, suggested the duchess was making the decision to move to the UK for her children’s sake. She said: “Perhaps Meghan is taking one for the team here, because I’m not sure this is her life’s desire to live back in the UK.”
