Like any other high-profile visitor seeking police protection, Prince Harry must give 28 days’ notice to the British security forces of his plans to come to the UK, including a detailed itinerary.
Prince Harry can use his own private security teams, but his offer of paying for police protection was refused by the British Government which said the police cannot be hired privately.
The Duke of Sussex was given the green light to appeal a High Court ruling to a decision that was made earlier this year.
Harry first took legal action in February 2020 when the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) decided he should receive a different degree of protection than other members of the Royal Family.
In a judgement from February this year, High Court judge Peter Lane rejected the Duke’s claims that the decision was unfair and ruled that the Home Office and Ravec’s decision would stand.
Meanwhile, as reported in the Daily Beast, sources close to Harry claimed that his family needs automatic police protection in the UK restored—and blamed King Charles for not delivering it.
But the palace insists that none of the decisions around Harry’s security are personal. A royal source told the outlet that “security provision is not decided on by the King”.
They added: “For the King himself to attempt to intervene directly in this process in any way would be wholly inappropriate.”
This suits the Palace down to the ground, some suspect, as a source close to Harry also told the Daily Beast: “It’s about control.”
The Home Office delegates responsibility for security arrangements of the Royal Family to Ravec, who also handles security for other important overseas guests.
Security concerns are said to be the reason why Harry refused to stay in a royal residence when he was in the UK for the Invictus Games 10th anniversary service in May.
Instead of accepting King Charles’s offer he reportedly opted for a hotel, as he did when he flew to London for a last-minute visit in February this year after the news of the King’s cancer diagnosis came to light.
It is unknown whether Prince Harry will bring his family to the UK during the Invictus Games 2027, but the Duke recently congratulated Birmingham on its successful bid to host the games.
The Duke of Sussex, who founded the sporting competition for wounded, injured or sick military personnel, said Birmingham’s strong ties to the military community had made it a “formidable contender”.
It will be the first time the Games have come home to the UK since the duke staged the inaugural tournament in London in 2014.
