December 08, (THEWILL) – Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, persists in advocating for security in the United Kingdom.
He disclosed that he felt compelled to withdraw from his royal duties and relocate to the United States to ensure the safety of his family.
During a three-day hearing in London, his lawyers shared a statement from the Duke of Sussex, who did not appear in court. Harry revealed that he felt forced to step back from his royal role and leave the UK in 2020, citing security concerns for his family: his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children, Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2.
“It was with great sadness to both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020,” he said in the statement.
“The UK is my home. The UK is central to the heritage of my children, and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the United States. That cannot happen if there is no possibility to keep them safe when they are on UK soil.”
He continued, “I can’t put my wife in danger like that, and given my experiences in life, I’m reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.”
The legal team representing the Duke of Sussex is challenging a decision made in February 2020 by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures. This decision aimed to strip Prince Harry of his automatic right to UK police security. Even though Prince Harry volunteered to cover the security expenses, the offer was rejected.
Lawyers for the Duke of Sussex were seeking to prove he was “treated unfairly” when the Royalty and VIP Executive Committee ruled he no longer qualifies for the “same degree” of protection given to members of the British royal family.
The legal team representing the Duke of Sussex has previously asserted that he “does not feel safe” bringing his two children to the UK.
“Of course, it should go without saying that he wants to come back: to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart,” his lawyer, Shaheed Fatima, said in 2022 at the Royal Courts of Justice. “Most of all, this is, and always will be, his home,” she added.
Fatima argued that her client should be given state-funded security in view of the “threats and risks he faces” due to his lifelong “status, background and profile within the royal family.”
Since relocating to California in 2020, Meghan and Harry have brought their children to the UK only once in 2022. This visit coincided with Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, where they also celebrated Lili’s first birthday at Frogmore Cottage, their former UK residence in Windsor.
