Prince Harry Issues Ultimatum to UK Government Over Security

Prince Harry has issued an ultimatum to the UK government regarding his security in the country.

In a pre-action protocol letter written by Harry's lawyers to the Home Office, it was made clear that if Harry and his family are not offered public security from police officers and the like while in the UK, they will be seeking a judicial review.

The statement issued on the Prince's behalf references the fact that others who have left public office, as Prince Harry did two years ago, have still received police protection.

If the case proceeds, it will lead to a battle in the High Court between ministers and Prince Harry.

According to a legal representative, Harry wants to bring his wife Meghan Markle, son Archie and baby daughter Lilibet to visit from the US, but his family is unable to return to his home because it's too dangerous.

The lack of police protection has resulted in too great a personal risk, the representative added.

The legal representative also said that Harry had previously offered to fund the security himself, rather than ask taxpayers to foot the bill.

However, Harry is arguing that his private protection team in the US does not have adequate jurisdiction abroad or access to UK intelligence information, which is needed to keep the Sussex family safe.

The UK will always be Prince Harry's home and a country he wants his wife and children to be safe in, the legal representative for the Duke said in a statement to the PA news agency.

Harry's last visit to the UK was in July 2021 to unveil a statue of his late mother, Princess Diana, in Kensington Palace.

The legal representative continued, Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life.

He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan and in recent years his family has been subjected to world-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats.

While his role within the institution has changed, his profile as a member of the royal family has not, nor has the threat to him and his family.

Harry and Meghan lost their taxpayer-funded police protection in the aftermath of quitting as senior working royals.

Their security provision was one of the key issues when the couple announced they wanted to step down in 2020.

According to the legal representative, Harry first offered to personally pay for UK police protection for himself and his family in January of 2020, but that offer was dismissed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex personally fund a private security team for their family, yet that security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed whilst in the UK.

In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home.

It follows an incident in London in the summer of 2021 when Harry's security was compromised after his car was chased by paparazzi photographers as he left a charity event.

The legal representative said that Harry's family are unable to return to his home because it is too dangerous.

Prince Harry hopes that his petition, after close to two years of pleas for security in the UK, will resolve this situation.

The bid for a judicial review was filed in September 2021, and Harry's legal representative said the Duke still wants to cover costs of security and is not imposing on the British taxpayer.

It is thought that Harry wants to return to reunite with the royal family to mark the Queen's platinum jubilee in June.

A series of celebratory events will take place this summer, as well as an extra bank holiday.

Lilibet's first birthday will also coincide with the same weekend as celebrations for the Queen's jubilee, as she turns one on the 4th of June.

The couple finally released the first photograph of their baby girl as part of their 2021 Christmas card.

With surreptitious timing, the legal representative felt it necessary to release a statement setting the facts straight following a leak in a UK tabloid.

In conclusion, Prince Harry is demanding that the UK government provide his family with adequate security while they are in the country.

He has offered to fund the security himself but argues that his private protection team in the US does not have the necessary jurisdiction abroad or access to UK intelligence information.