Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Security Costs: The Latest Update

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have been responsible for their own security since relinquishing their royal duties, and it is estimated that this could cost up to $3 million per year.

However, the couple has faced several challenges in obtaining adequate protection, as highlighted by a recent legal action launched by Harry against the UK Home Office.

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Harry's legal representative initiated the legal action over the Home Office's refusal to provide police protection to him in the UK, despite his offer to pay for it.

The Duke had first offered to pay personally for UK police protection for himself and his family in January 2020 at Sandringham, but the offer was dismissed.

Harry remains willing to cover the cost of security himself, so as not to impose on the British taxpayer.

However, his lawyers claim that his safety was compromised when he last returned to the UK to unveil Princess Diana's memorial statue.

They added that Harry inherited a security risk for life by being born into the royal family, and that he feels himself to be a security risk for life because he is sixth in line to the throne and a target for extremist threats due to his two tours of combat in Afghanistan.

Despite Harry's concerns, his 95-year-old grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, has told him that she will not intervene as security is a government matter.

Moreover, a source from the Home Office told the Daily Mail that the organisation will not back down over Harry's demands for police protection when the Sussexes visit the UK.

“I have not seen anything in writing that suggests this is about whether or not he is paying for it.

It's about whether or not the security is granted here, that is the issue,” the source said.

The Home Office's stance is based on the fact that protective security is based on role and risk, and the security that the couple pays for in America cannot be replicated in the UK.

“We don't allow people to wander the street with guns here,” the source added.

However, a briefing document sent to journalists by an unnamed spokesperson for the Sussexes claimed that the UK Home Office ignored pleas for more help and greater flexibility.

The spokesperson added that this led Harry to apply for permission to bring judicial review proceedings against Home Office Secretary Priti Patel.

They also stated that the government's decision-making had taken insufficient account of the Duke's position, undiminished threats, and the impact on the UK's reputation of a senior member of the royal family being harmed on UK soil.

It is thought that Harry is making an effort to return to the UK for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June, but it could be without Meghan and their children Archie and Lilibet.

He is also understood to have told his family members that he would attend a memorial service for his late grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey, which is planned for April.

Despite the ongoing legal action and negotiations, the Home Office is refusing to back down over Harry's demands for police protection.

“Like other members of the public, he and his wife are not able to hire armed cops at will, no matter how much they offer to pay,” a senior source said.

“Other minor royals manage to function in normal life without armed guards.”

If Prince Harry wins the chance to have his review heard, the case will be brought before the High Court.