Prince Harry returned to the UK on Monday for his trial against Associated Newspapers Limited – but every time he comes back to his homeland he faces uncertainty over whether he will receive paid security.
As a military veteran who served two tours of duty on the front-line in Afghanistan, the King's second son has had direct threats made against him. Those threats didn't vanish when he stepped back from royal duties, moving to the US with his wife Meghan and their son Archie in 2020, and going on to welcome their daughter Lilibet in 2021.
Since quitting as a working royal, Harry no longer receives automatic, 24-hour, taxpayer-funded armed protection from Scotland Yard when in Britain.
Instead, he must request Metropolitan Police officers through the Home Office on a case-by-case basis. Like other visiting VIPs, his security is judged according to risk. There are no guarantees. The difference is significant. Scotland Yard works alongside MI5, with access to real-time intelligence and advance threat assessments.
Harry's private security team operates without this crucial information network. Court documents have revealed specific concerns: a stalker has been tracked to his location, and online extremist chatter continues. Critics argue Harry chose to step back from royal life – and knew the consequences.
His 'unique' situation
But Harry didn't choose to be born sixth in line to the throne, or to inherit the fame and unwanted attention that comes with it.
Unlike other veterans, Harry remains a named target. His decision to publish details about his Afghanistan service in his memoir Spare certainly didn't help.
© Tim Graham Photo Library via GetCurrently, Harry receives case-by-case approval for protection when in the UK. He argues it is not enough, and he still doesn't feel safe bringing his family back to Britain.
That is why Harry challenged RAVEC – the Royal and VIP Executive Committee – through the courts. When he lost the case, he made a direct appeal to the Home Secretary.
As King Charles cannot be seen to interfere with an independent security committee, no matter his personal wishes that remain unknown. As a result, he cannot build a relationship with his grandchildren Prince Archie, who is five, and Princess Lilibet, just three.
Meghan, meanwhile, has not returned to Britain since the late Queen Elizabeth's funeral in 2022. There has been talk that she may join her husband for a pre-Invictus one-year-to-go event in Birmingham this summer. It's a significant event for the Sussexes and Meghan likes to support her husband when she can, but the decision over security will be a deciding factor.
It's clear the King would like to see his grandchildren and if Harry brings the children, then Meghan would want to be there too. But it seems she will not return to the UK until the security guarantees Harry is seeking are in place.
In 2023, Harry published a written witness statement to the High Court, saying: ''The UK is my home. It is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live in the US.
''That cannot happen if it's not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil. I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm's way.''
© Getty Images for W+P'Wrong' not to give Harry security
Former senior Royal Protection Officer Ken Wharfe MVO, who was once in charge of Diana's security as well as William and Harry's, has shifted his position on the matter:
''Given where we sit politically at the moment, and the publicity over the past few years, plus the fact his father is not in the best of health, it would be wrong not to give him full Scotland Yard protection.
''The fall-out would be huge if anything were to go wrong.''
Inspector Wharfe added: ''A full security package is justified now rather than relying on liaison arrangements that do not allow proper access. I have changed my view from when he first left for California because of the current volatile state of the world.''
© Getty ImagesHistory offers a sobering lesson. If Diana had retained Scotland Yard protection, she would likely be alive today. When the stakes involve someone's life, perhaps ''probably fine'' should not be good enough.
Somewhere between duty and family, between protocol and common sense, there must be a solution that satisfies everyone and allows the royal family at least a chance to heal.
© Getty ImagesNovember 2005
Buckingham Palace trigger police enquiry alleging News of the World's story on Prince William's knee injury could only have been attained through phone hacking.
January 2007
News of the World private investigator Glenn Mulcaire and royal editor Clive Goodman are sentenced to six and four months respectively for hacking the phones of royal aides. Goodman subsequently admits hacking William's phone 35 times and Princess Kate's over 150 times, but parent company News Corp maintains the pair were rogue employees.
January 2011
Police reopen the investigation after News of the World comes forward with "significant new information".
April 2011
News of the World admits liability for the phone hacking and pays actress Sienna Miller £100,000 in a related settlement. A slew of settlements with various famous people follow.
July 2011
The Guardian alleges News of the World hacked the phone of 13-year-old murder victim Milly Dowler during the police search for her, prompting mass outrage and the closure by Rupert Murdoch of News of the World.
November 2012
British Prime Minister David Cameron instituted the Leveson inquiry into media ethics, which would go on to recommend the creation of an independent press watchdog backed by the government. To date, not all the recommendations have been implemented.
October 2013
Former News of the World editors Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks are the most prominent defendants to go on trial at the Old Bailey on charges of phone hacking and making illegal payments to officials. The trial lasted eight months and resulted in Coulson being sentenced to 18 months in prison but the acquittal of Brooks.
December 2015
England's chief prosecutor says no more criminal cases will be brought against Murdoch's News Group and rival Mirror Group Newspapers.
2019
Prince Harry launches lawsuits against Murdoch's News Group Newsletters (NGN), the Mirror Group and Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers, claiming stories about his schooldays, teenage japes and former relationships were obtained illegally.
February 2021
Meghan Markle wins invasion of privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers over the publication of a letter she wrote to her estranged father in 2018.
June 2023
In his case against Mirror Group, Prince Harry became the first member of the British royal family since Prince Albert Edward (who would become King Edward VII) in 1891 to appear as a witness in court.
December 2023
Harry wins his case against Mirror Group but later says: "Our mission continues."
January 2025
Prince Harry's five-year-lawsuit against The Sun is over before it begins as the Duke, alongside fellow litigant Lord Tom Watson, reaches a shock settlement with publisher NGN agreeing to pay "substantial damages".
January 2026
Harry's group action against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers over unlawful information gathering begins at the High Court in London.
The latest updates
Earlier this month, there were claims that Harry has won the right to armed police protection while in the UK. The Home Office has reportedly had a change of heart, and a decision will be announced ''within weeks'', according to the Mail on Sunday.
''It's now a formality,'' a source close to the Sussexes is said to have told the newspaper. ''Sources at the Home Office have indicated that security is now nailed on for Harry.''
However, a source close to Harry told HELLO!: ''That's great, but we haven't been told that, and we're not taking anything for granted. Institutional forces could still intervene to scupper it.''
Only time will tell whether Harry's security really has been handed back for good.
This post was first published on The HELLO! Royal Club on Friday. Find out on here why thousands of HELLO! royal fans are members of the club.
