Prince Harry Feels Confident His Long Security Fight Is Nearing an End
A ray of hope emerged for Prince Harry when an official review found that he met the criteria for inclusion in public funded security cover.
Prince Harry has faced a long uphill battle in his effort to reinstate full-time security in the UK. For those unversed, after the Duke of Sussex stepped down as a senior royal in 2020, he lost his taxpayer-funded protection in his home country. However, a new ray of hope emerged on January 4, when an official review reportedly found that he met the criteria for inclusion in publicly funded security cover. This major U-turn from the Home Office has left Harry feeling confident and hopeful that his fight for protection may finally be nearing its end.
As reported by The Telegraph, Harry was granted a full risk assessment last month in his long-running security case following a major U-turn by the Home Office. Sources say the mood music is 'positive,' with his lawyers cautiously optimistic that his right to armed protection will be reinstated. After several years of campaigning, including a public court loss, it is safe to believe that Harry will be granted the guards and institutional backup he received as a working royal. If this comes to fruition, it could potentially pave the way for his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to reunite with King Charles in the UK.
After the Duke of Sussex was granted a full-scale review, a reassessment was carried out by RAVEC, the body responsible for determining who receives security. RAVEC is made up of members from the government's Home Office, the Metropolitan Police, and the royal household. Following their decision, the Daily Mail reported on January 4 that the Prince had met the criteria for top-level security measures. A source was quoted as saying, "It's now a formality. Sources at the Home Office have indicated that security is nailed on for Harry."
The recent positive update comes two months after Harry wrote a letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, urging her to reconsider his security. This followed incidents during his September UK visit, when a known stalker got dangerously close to him on two occasions. In December, the Duke was reportedly informed that RAVEC had instructed its Risk Management Board (RMB) to reassess his threat level for the first time in nearly six years. A Home Office spokesperson declined to comment on the case but said, "The UK Government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. 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."
In the past, Harry has spoken about the downsides of not having taxpayer-funded security in the UK, telling the BBC, "I can't see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point." He also accepted that he wished to reunite with his family, given the state of his father's health. "I would love a reconciliation with my family," adding that he did "not know how much longer my father has," and that Charles "won't speak to me because of this security stuff."
