Ex-Protection Officer Explains Why Harry Deserves Full Security — and It's Not Because He's Royal
The expert argued that Harry didn’t choose his birth nor the global notoriety that has followed him all his life.
The argument that Prince Harry deserves paid security has gained renewed attention as the Duke of Sussex returned to the UK on Monday for his high court battle against Associated Newspapers Limited. Each visit back to Britain now comes with the same uncertainty: whether he will be granted police protection, despite his senior royal status by birth, his military record, and as a named 'target' who continues to face death threats.
Since stepping back as a working royal in 2020 and relocating to the US with his wife, Meghan Markle, the Prince no longer receives automatic, taxpayer-funded protection from Scotland Yard while in the UK. Instead, the decision is made on a case-by-case basis by officials at the Home Office, similar to the visits of other VIPs. Critics argue this was a foreseeable consequence of his decision to leave royal life. But supporters have countered the idea and stressed that Harry’s circumstances are anything but ordinary. As a former frontline soldier who served two tours in Afghanistan, has revealed that threats against him didn’t disappear when he left royal life. Court documents have also revealed ongoing concerns, including a stalker being arrested at locations Harry was at, and continued extremist chatter online.
The distinction is central to the stance of royal author and commentator Robert Jobson. As per HELLO!, he argued that Harry’s position is ‘unique’ and can’t be compared with other veterans or high-profile figures. He argues that Harry didn’t choose his birth nor the global notoriety that has followed him all his life. Sadly, the Duke's memoir, Spare, may have heightened risks as Harry detailed his military service. Harry has repeatedly said that the current arrangements have played a huge role in his feeling unsafe, especially when it comes to bringing his family back to the UK, despite it also being their home.
Meghan Markle has also not returned to the UK since Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022. While there has been buzz about her attending a pre-Invictus one-year-to-go event in Birmingham this Summer, security remains the deciding factor. Harry has also challenged the Royal and VIP executive committee, or RAVEC, through the courts over this issue, and after losing that case, he made a direct appeal to the Home Secretary. King Charles is meanwhile unable to intervene without appearing to influence an independent security process. This has reportedly limited his ability to build a relationship with his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The most striking intervention, however, has come from a former insider. Former senior Royal Protection Officer Ken Wharfe, who once saw the security of the late Princess Diana as well as William and Harry, said it would now be 'wrong' not to provide full protection. He stated, “Given where we sit politically at the moment, and the publicity over the past few years, plus the fact his father is not in the best of health, it would be wrong not to give him full Scotland Yard protection. The fall-out would be huge if anything were to go wrong.” Wharfe added, “A full security package is justified now rather than relying on liaison arrangements that do not allow proper access. I have changed my view from when he first left for California because of the current volatile state of the world.”
