Harry and Meghan’s UK security arrangements remain a ‘private matter’

Security arrangements for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their return to the UK are a “private matter”, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said.

He added: “It’s a matter for Harry and for Meghan, and we wish them well in the move that they are making.”

It comes after it emerged that the couple intends to relocate with their children from the US to the UK later this month to a private, non-royal residence outside London.

The Home Office said decisions on the security of royals were taken by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), an independent body overseen by the Home Office.

The prime minister does not decide about security for the Royal Family.

Security for the couple has long been a point of tension, with Prince Harry losing a legal challenge last year over how much he and his family were entitled to when visiting the UK.

Now that they are moving back to the UK, Ravec will have to make a new decision on their security as previous arrangements were based on them not living here permanently.

The Home Office has said the UK’s protective security system was rigorous and proportionate, but “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 Sussexes left the UK and stepped back from their royal duties in early 2020, before they settled in California.

There is no suggestion that the couple are going to become full-time working royals again, so they may not qualify for the levels of security Prince Harry had before he and his wife left the UK six years ago.

But they will be high-profile public figures, with close links to the King and Prince Harry’s military service in Afghanistan also remains an important consideration.

It remains to be seen whether Prince Harry will get the taxpayer-funded security that he has always asked for since stepping down as a working royal.

If he does not get it, he would have to top up any security he might be given out of his own pocket.

Last year, Prince Harry lost a legal challenge in which he sought to overturn a decision that had downgraded his security after his move to the US.

At the time, he told the BBC that he “can’t see a world” in which he would bring his family to the UK due to the downgrading of his protection.

In the US, the Sussexes have employed a private security team to protect them.

They offered no comment when asked by the BBC whether that team would be moving to the UK with them.

Their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, will be starting school next month in the UK, although the school and where they will live have not been revealed.

In terms of why they were moving now, a source close to the couple said the “stars had aligned” at this time to make the move work for their family.

They are described by the source as an international couple who love to travel – and for the next while they are going to be based in the UK.

As well as surprising the world’s media, it was also news to King Charles, who was told about the move on Sunday. He is said to be looking forward to seeing them more often.

The decision follows a visit in July by Prince Harry, Meghan and their children to see the King at his Highgrove home in Gloucestershire.

It was the first time the King had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years, and the couple’s first visit to the UK together since 2022.

Source: BBC