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Prince Harry wants his kids, Archie Harrison and Lilibet Diana, to know his home country, but wants to make sure they’d be safe in it. Over the weekend, a legal representative for the Duke of Sussex, 37, released a statement saying that Harry and his family, who reside in California, are unable to return to the UK due to the absence of necessary police protection.
“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 legal representative said (via HELLO! ).
“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,” the statement continued.
The representative said that the Duke “first offered to pay personally for UK police protection for himself and his family in January of 2020 at Sandringham,” but the “offer was dismissed.” Harry and Meghan Markle lost their taxpayer-funded police protection in 2020 after stepping away from royal duties.
The representative noted that the royal dad of two “remains willing to cover the cost of security, as not to impose on the British taxpayer,” adding “As is widely known, others who have left public office and have an inherent threat risk receive police protection at no cost to them. The goal for Prince Harry has been simple – to ensure the safety of himself and his family while in the UK so his children can know his home country.”
According to the legal representative, Harry’s “security was compromised due to the absence of police protection, whilst leaving a charity event” in July of 2021. The Duke returned to the UK at the time for the unveiling of a statue of his late mother, Princess Diana.
“After another attempt at negotiations was also rejected, he sought a judicial review in September 2021 to challenge the decision-making behind the security procedures, in the hopes that this could be re-evaluated for the obvious and necessary protection required,” the Duke’s legal rep said. “The UK will always be Prince Harry’s home and a country he wants his wife and children to be safe in. With the lack of police protection, comes too great a personal risk.”
The statement concluded, “Prince Harry hopes that his petition – after close to two years of pleas for security in the UK – will resolve this situation. It is due to a leak in a UK tabloid, with surreptitious timing, we feel it necessary to release a statement setting the facts straight.”