The number of trips Prince Harry has taken back to the United Kingdom have been fairly staggered and relatively limited. The Duke of Sussex has attended a few meaningful events with his family, including the statue unveiling dedicated to his mother, Princess Diana, and the funeral of his late grandfather, Prince Philip. Each journey Harry’s taken back to the U.K. has been done solo, leaving his wife Meghan Markle and two children, Archie, 2, and Lilibet, 7 months, back in California — and now we know why. Prince Harry has petitioned the British government for the ability to hire his own security for his family’s U.K. visits, despite a decision made by the British Home Office that would limit the private security team’s access to prudent information such as potential threats.
According to a statement published by Harper’s Bazaar, Harry wants to bring his family back to his home country. “The UK will always be Prince Harry’s home and a country he wants his wife and children to be safe in,” a statement from the Duke of Sussex’s legal spokesperson said. “With the lack of police protection comes too great a personal risk.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly skipping the Oscars due to their displeasure with Princess Diana's portrayal in #Spencer. https://t.co/Pcz418CdE1
— SheKnows (@SheKnows) January 11, 2022
Harry’s representative went on to say, “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.” Basically, because of the U.K. Home Office’s decision, any security Prince Harry would privately hire to travel with him and his family from the states to England (as opposed to U.K. taxpayer funded security) would not be fully informed about any potential threats wherever the family would go. And that’s a risk Harry is not willing to take.
Since making their decision to take a step back as senior members of the royal family, Harry and Meghan have been scrutinized more than ever. It’s nothing wholly unfamiliar for Harry, as his legal spokesperson noted in the statement, “Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life.” But as a husband and father, Harry has more to think about than protecting only himself, and he wants to be able to provide the best security possible so his family — on both sides of the pond — can finally reconnect. “While his role within the institution has changed, his profile as a member of the Royal Family has not,” Harry’s spokesperson said. “Nor has the threat to him and his family.”
Click here to see Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s complete relationship timeline.
