Harry and Meghan should get taxpayer-funded security package, former home secretaries say
Lord Blunkett has said there is a “happy medium” that would see the family given a medium level of security protection.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex should be given a limited and temporary security package until their long-term plans are made clear, two former home secretaries have said.
Listen to this article
Harry and Meghan announced on Wednesday that they are returning to Britain after six years living in California.
With no clear indication over how long they will stay, the announcement has sparked a row over what level of protection they should be provided, and how it should be funded.
But former Labour Home Secretary Lord Blunkett has said there is a “happy medium” that would see the family given a medium level of security protection.
He suggested this could be reviewed in a couple of years and adjusted depending on the intelligence of the threat posed to the Sussexes.
“If I were looking back on my time, there’s a happy medium here. There are three areas of security. There’s the fully blown, blacked-out back-up car with two or three close protection — one in the passenger car and the others in the back-up on a 24-hour basis,” he told The Times.
Read more: Harry and Meghan’s security: officials ‘will reconsider armed protection’
He added: “There’s then the middle ground, which is security where you have one or two officers who travel with the principal, as they call it. And the third is that they get a driver with security training.
“I think the middle of that is a perfectly reasonable thing to offer for the time being and then it could be reassessed in a couple of years.”
Another former home secretary, who asked not to be named, said their security should be “limited and restricted and not full time”.
However, they added that it is “hard to imagine how he and his family would not receive some protection”.
They told the outlet: “There are many questions to ask about potential security provision and protection. Yes, the cost is very high, but it could be limited and restricted and not full time but that’s down to His Majesty and the wider royal family.
“I think it’s hard to imagine how he and his family would not receive some protection, but as ever let’s not forget he did go to court over it and sued the government on this matter just when we were making very important changes to protective security and costs. I suspect this will all be part of a ‘phased approach’.”
Sources close to the newspaper added that their return to the UK could be temporary and last just six months.
It's understood Ravec officials will also have to decide on what level of security should be granted if they agree to provide police protection.
The organisation had been examining the case for providing the Sussexes with automatic armed security each time they visited the UK.
A decision is not expected to be made before the Sussexes return to the UK next week, but a temporary solution may be put in place until then.
Various MPs have also had their say on the matter.
On Saturday, Mike Tapp, a Labour MP and former Home Office minister, wrote on X that decisions about protective security should be based on a “clear-eyed assessment of the threat”.
He added: “Having worked in national security, I strongly believe the only relevant consideration should be the assessed level of threat, and the professionals should be allowed to reach that decision independently.”
Meanwhile, Labour MP Dame Emily Thornberry told The Telegraph: “I would want to be reassured that his family are going to be safe. They deserve to be secure.
“We have to remember [the Duke of Sussex] has made a contribution to this country through his public service and heroism. He is the son of the King, he has made a big contribution to our country through public service – that puts him and his family at risk.”
On Thursday, the Prime Minister insisted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's security arrangements were a 'private matter ', while government officials said it was not a foregone conclusion.
Ministers do not have any involvement in the decision over providing security for high-profile individuals.
When Harry and Meghan decided to step down as working royals in January 2020 while still living in the UK, their security protection was removed.
The couple’s children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are reportedly enrolled to start at British schools in September.
Prince William and Princess Catherine have also been informed of the move.The move comes after the couple left the UK and royal duties back in 2020.
Relations between the pair and the wider royal family had been strained since the move, with July's visit to Highgrove being a key development.
It was the first time the King had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years.