Prince Harry and his family’s planned UK visit is reportedly being reconsidered at the last minute after his team was told the request for taxpayer-funded police protection would not be granted.
According to the BBC, the Duke of Sussex, his wife Meghan and their children Archie and Lilibet were expected to make their first UK family visit in four years. His team had waited for a security review by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), which determines protection arrangements for senior royals.
However, after the UK trip details were announced on Friday, Harry’s team was informed that no taxpayer-funded police security would be provided. Sources say the decision was made just days before their arrival and left the family seeking alternative ways to make the trip work safely.
A government spokesman said the UK’s protective security system is “rigorous and proportionate” and that it is the government’s policy not to provide detailed information about security arrangements because sharing such details could compromise integrity and affect individuals’ safety.
Harry’s team had accepted an offer to stay on a royal estate during the visit while being hosted as a guest of King Charles, though Buckingham Palace sources have not confirmed acceptance. Police protection would be available while staying on a royal estate; outside those times, Harry would have to rely on the private security team travelling with him from California.
The visit is described as linked to the start of the countdown to next year’s Invictus Games in Birmingham, along with plans for public engagements in London and the Midlands and meetings with UK charities supported by Harry since moving to California. A final decision on whether Meghan and the children join the trip is expected in the coming days.
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