Prince Harry wins path to UK security arrangements in major Home Office U-turn
The Home Office has reportedly ordered a threat assessment for the first time since 2020
Prince Harry's security arrangements while in the UK are reportedly being reviewed after he was stripped of automatic police protection five years ago.
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The Home Office has reportedly now ordered a threat assessment for the first time since 2020, marking a major U-turn.
The Duke of Sussex has not returned to the UK with his two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, since 2022, stating it was unsafe for them and his wife, Meghan Markle.
The threat assessment comes after Harry wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in October and submitted a formal request for a risk assessment to the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec).
In May, Harry lost an appeal challenging the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office over the decision of Ravec that he should receive a different degree of taxpayer-funded protection when in the country.
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This came into effect after Harry and the Duchess of Sussex left the UK and first moved to Canada, and then California, after announcing they wanted to step back as senior royals.
Ravec has now instructed its Risk Management Board to reassess his threat level, the Sun reported.
The newspaper said the process is already under way and a decision is expected next month.
A Government spokesperson 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.”
During Harry’s last visit to the UK, a “known stalker” came “within feet” of him on two occasions, according to a report in The Telegraph.
Harry’s legal team first disputed Ravec’s ruling in 2021, citing that he didn’t currently feel safe bringing his children to the UK, and that his privately funded team in the US did not have the proper jurisdiction to protect them in the UK.
The claim was thrown out in early 2024 by High Court judge Sir Peter Lane, who concluded Ravec’s approach was “not procedurally unfair”.
The Duke was then given the go-ahead by the Court of Appeals to challenge the decision in June 2024.