Will Harry’s Security Review Make Meghan a 'Target'? Duchess Urged to 'Give the UK a Miss'
Prince Harry might be close to a legal victory that he has been seeking for six years, but the win will be tinged with some pain. The reassessment of his security in the UK might finally give his family the protection they require to visit. But, it might also turn the spotlight specifically on Meghan Markle in a way that makes it nearly impossible for her to be anywhere but Britain.
After several years of battling the Home Office, Duke Sussex has finally achieved a victory, getting a fresh reassessment of his security when in the UK. Since the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) issued its call, the security of Harry has been handled on a strictly 'case-by-case basis.' Every trip to the UK needs to be pre-circumstantiated and designed specifically. The Prince has argued that this is the kind of patchwork that places him and his loved ones at risk. Harry has been questioning the security arrangement that he believes is 'inferior' and unfair to him and his family. He has been doing this through the courts for six long years.
However, now that the Home Office has launched another review, there is a cautious sense of hope in the Sussexes’ camp. According to a source within Harry’s inner circle, he is assured that the provision of armed police protection could be re-established when he returns to Britain. This means more to him than simply feeling secure, as it symbolizes repairing relationships with his relatives. This has always been Harry’s perception — to repair relationships with his family. The main problem that holds him back, he claims, is security.
Even if the door might be open again to him, it could swing shut for Markle. Jennie Bond, the former BBC royal correspondent, says that restoring protection for Harry wouldn't automatically turn the UK into a welcoming shore for Markle. In fact, she argues, it could make her position more exposed, more hostile, even if the physical danger isn't the same.
Writing for the i Paper, Bond argued that she understands why many Britons hope for a family reunion, but she remains unconvinced that Markle would get anything close to a warm reception. “Any visit by Meghan would need to be carefully staged and watched,” she notes. “She might not face the same physical risk, but she’s more likely to trigger a verbal backlash than Harry, who still has a knack for charming the crowd.” Her advice to the Duchess is: “If I were her, I’d give the UK a miss. She’s clearly happy at home in California. Why wouldn’t she be? She’s free, she’s wealthy, she has a husband who adores her and children she loves. Why court hostility over here?”
Bond’s suggestion sketches a future that neatly separates Harry’s personal and public needs from Markle’s. “Harry and the kids can pop over and see Grandpa,” she added. “Archie and Lilibet can take a peek inside the Palace walls, which their ancestors have inhabited. And then they can all head back to the sunshine.”
While Harry remains a familiar, if complicated, figure to the British public, Markle’s relationship with the UK has hardened into something more brittle. Increased security for Harry may reduce physical risk, but it does little to soften the cultural and emotional edge Markle would face on British soil.