The Duke of Sussex's security arrangements while in the UK are being reviewed, according to reports. It comes after Prince Harry, 41, lost an appeal at the High Court in May to reinstate his police protection, but the Home Office has now ordered a threat assessment for the first time since 2020, the Sun reported.
Harry wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood shortly after her appointment and submitted a formal request for a risk assessment to the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which is overseen by the Home Office, a source close to the Duke said in October.
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."
Desire to bring Archie and Lilibet to the UK
Harry and his wife, Meghan, moved to the US in 2020 after stepping back as senior royals. During a visit to the UK in June 2021, it was reported that photographers chased the Duke's car as he left a WellChild garden party, and shortly after, Harry began legal action against the Home Office, which is legally responsible for Ravec's decisions.
© Getty ImagesIn December 2023, Harry told the High Court in an emotional statement: "The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the US. That cannot happen if it's not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil."
Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, last visited the UK in June 2022, which coincided with the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations and Lilibet's first birthday.
© NetflixAfter losing the Court of Appeal challenge in May, Harry said in a TV interview he "can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK".
The Duke told the BBC he would ask then-home secretary Yvette Cooper to "look at this very, very carefully", and warned that the royal family's power over security means it "can be used to control" family members. He also said he would ask Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to "step in".
