Prince Harry May Have Just Weakened His Own Security Case With One Move — And It Raises Fresh Questions
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's private UK vacation was tough to pull, but might have just proven their own selves wrong.
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle crossed the pond last month, they managed to keep their itinerary under wraps and maintain the privacy of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet despite the weeks-long frenzy around the visit. Although the Duke of Sussex made several public appearances, his wife and children were never spotted. And while being able to pull that off must certainly be a feat, it might not bode well for the Sussexes in the long run. After all, for someone still fighting for automatic police protection in the UK, a quiet vacation doesn’t exactly make for the strongest defense.
Royal expert Emily Nash said there was a “bit of a three-way silence on this particular angle of the story”. She reminded that last year, Harry had stated he wouldn’t be able to bring Markle and their kids to the UK without security “because he feared for their lives”. Nash further said via Hello!, “You know, he was really talking about it in such stark terms.”
However, the Sussexes managed to take a private vacation in the UK last month without state-funded protection. “I mean, the fact that the meeting with the King went unnoticed back in July until they announced it. And the fact that they were able to move about, and we know have quite a lovely summer holiday in the United Kingdom without being seen by anyone really showed that that wasn't necessarily the case,” Nash added. The family is also said to have visited Princess Diana's grave in Althorp last month.
Although the royal expert believed the situation may not have been as grave as the Duke previously described, she claimed he and Markle must have some security “arrangement” in place that they are “satisfied” with, considering they are going to “move back” to the UK now. Nash mentioned, “Now, sources close to Harry are not commenting on it at the moment. The Home Office, interestingly, is also not commenting, saying they wouldn't get into specifics of individual cases. Because naturally that could undermine any security provision.”
The Sussexes are expected to stay in the UK for an extended period, with Archie and Lilibet already enrolled in schools, according to reports. Concrete details about their accommodation plans haven’t been revealed. But since the UK school term starts early next month, the family of four may touch down at Heathrow very soon. There are also questions and doubts about Harry and Markle's position in the royal fold going forward.
As for the automatic police protection, Harry reportedly made a private plea to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. According to reports, RAVEC carried out a risk assessment in July. However, the findings haven’t been shared with the prince yet.
