Harry ‘Strains’ Palace Relations After Former Aide Dismisses Security ‘Intervention’ Remark
Just days after a positive update emerged suggesting that Prince Harry met the criteria for taxpayer-funded security in the UK, a new report claims he risks straining his relationship with the Palace over the same. Insiders had previously revealed that if the decision on reinstating his security did not go in his favor, it would indicate an 'intervention from the Palace.' That remark, however, could put the Duke at odds with his family, as a former royal aide has dismissed his alleged hopes as 'unjust and inaccurate.'
In a conversation with The Times, the former staffer pushed back against claims that the Palace has any say in Harry's pending security decision. They said, "While they [Palace] sit on the committee, it is not their role to advise on threat analysis or appropriate mitigations. That is for the actual intelligence and security experts to advise on — as of course they do whenever the Duke's visits to the UK are being reviewed under the existing Ravec process." Meanwhile, government sources also emphasized that Harry's security risk assessment was still ongoing, with no confirmed decision yet. An insider explained, "I have no idea what the RMB recommendation to Ravec [the Royal and VIP executive committee] will be, but what I do know with certainty is that neither does anyone else, since they are still undertaking the review."
According to the Daily Mail, on January 4, sources confirmed that a fresh risk assessment had been carried out by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC), the body responsible for determining protection for senior royal figures. An insider spilled, "Sources at the Home Office have indicated that security is now nailed on for Harry." Despite the RAVEC officials reportedly being on the same page, some argued that "the only thing that could scupper his [Harry's] approval now would be an intervention from the Palace," emphasizing that his protection in his home country was indirectly tied to Firm politics.
Regardless of the looming Palace hiccup, The Telegraph had reported that the mood music for Harry is 'positive,' with his lawyers cautiously optimistic that his right to taxpayer-funded protection will be renewed. After several years of campaigning, including a public court loss, insiders believe that he will be granted the guards and institutional backup he received as a working royal. If this comes to fruition, it could pave the way for his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to reunite with King Charles in the UK.
Previously, the Duke of Sussex had alleged that the Palace's interference in his security case had likely resulted in his court loss. He told the BBC in May that the court ruling was "a good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up, and that is what it feels like." He argued, "I can only come to the UK safely if I am invited, and there is a lot of control and ability in my father's hands." At the time, he also said that without appropriate protection, he couldn't bring his family to his home country.