Prince Harry is said to be rethinking his decision to bring Meghan and his children to the UK next month after his request for police protection was denied.
It is understood that the royal has concerns for his family’s safety after learning on Friday that no taxpayer-funded security would be provided.
They had accepted an invitation to stay in a royal residence during their first visit to the UK since Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.
A source close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex accused the Home Office and the committee responsible for assessing their security of “wilfully creating conditions that are making it nearly impossible” for them to safely travel in the UK, The Telegraph reported.
Harry is said to be trying to find a way for the trip to go ahead, as he is “desperate” for his seven-year-old son, Archie, and five-year-old daughter, Lilibet, to see their grandfather King Charles. It is believed that a final decision on the trip and the involvement of Prince Harry’s wife and children will be made in the coming days.
Harry had been waiting for a review by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) on his security requirements, but found out last week that no review had been taken and all assessments had been “paused”, the source told the newspaper.
“The precarious security situation and endless speculation about where the family will stay is making the planning and logistics for the private security team increasingly difficult,” they added.
His level of protection was downgraded in 2020 when he stepped back from royal duties, and he has not been given any police protection since, unless engaging in official royal occasions.
Prince Harry is in an ongoing legal battle with the Home Office over security arrangements for him and his family while in the UK.
Their visit was set to mark the one-year countdown to Harry’s Invictus Games, which is being hosted in Birmingham next July, and the Duchess of Sussex was expected to join her husband on several public engagements.
It would also be the first time the duke has seen his father in nine months after the two had tea at Clarence House in September.
His family was expected to stay on both royal estate and private accommodation.
A government spokesman 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.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been approached for comment.
