Prince Harry has begun legal action to restore police protection when he visits the UK. He wants to pay for it out of his own pocket, so that the British taxpayer does not have to pay for it. The Duke of Sussex and his wife, Meghan Markle, are no longer eligible for police protection after leaving the royal family in 2020.
The couple lives in California with children Archie and Lilipet. But the prince is still crossing the Great Lake to visit the UK. Things got worse during this visit in the summer of 2021. As he was leaving a charity event, British paparazzi chased his car.
Harry’s lawyer made it clear that he wanted to continue visiting the country with his children, but that “it is not possible for him and his family” because it is too dangerous. This is the reason for filing an appeal against the Ministry of Interior’s refusal to grant self-paying police protection. The BBC reports that its own security team says it does not have enough authority abroad. The appeal began in September.
Prince Harry inherited a risk to his life at birth. He remains sixth in line to the throne, and has served in two combat campaigns in Afghanistan. The prince said in a statement that his family had been subjected in recent years to confirmed neo-Nazi and extremist threats.
Meanwhile, a government spokesperson said the UK’s security policies were “strict and proportionate”. The spokesman declined to go into details about security and the legal process.
pay yourself
Harry’s lawyer explained that he had proposed paying for the police protection himself in early 2020. But that proposal was rejected. Then there were talks with Queen Elizabeth about the couple’s future role after ‘Megxit’.