As the Prince Harry prepares to relocate from his California residence back to the United Kingdom, he has privately asked the Home Secretary for a decision on state‑funded security for his family.
Security Funding Request
Prince Harry has reportedly approached the Home Secretary to find out whether his family will receive security in the UK, with a purported taxpayer bill of over £5 million a year.
Harry and his wife Meghan made worldwide headlines on Wednesday when they announced they were moving back to the UK, six years after they departed royal duties.
The couple have lived in Montecito, California for six years, a location that has made them a fixture of US media and a point of interest for American audiences.
Royal watchers in Canada will also be tracking the development, given the close ties between the two monarchies.
Harry and Meghan have secured their own non‑royal accommodation outside of London and have chosen schools for their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
Now, Prince Harry is understood to have "privately pleaded" with Shabana Mahmood for a final decision over his family's security funding, the Daily Mail reports.
Royal Family Reactions
The prince's UK security arrangements were previously assessed by MPs on the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) at the end of July, following a review by its risk management board (RMB).
Although the board determined Harry was ineligible for state‑funded security, members were reportedly unaware he was considering a permanent move back to the UK when it reached its decision.
Elsewhere, senior royals are understood to have held a "Sussex Summit" at Balmoral Castle after the news of the couple's planned uproot from their Montecito home.
It is understood that round‑the‑clock armed police protection for the Sussexes could exceed £5 million following their return to the UK.
Despite the comeback, there will be no change to Harry and Meghan's role and status as private individuals and non‑working members of the royal family.
The King Charles, who is still living with cancer, was first made aware of the move on Sunday, only three days before it was made public, but is understood to welcome the opportunity to see more of the family both in a private and personal capacity.
Harry has faced a protracted legal battle with the Home Office over the security arrangements for him and his family when in the UK after his level of protection changed when he stepped down as a working royal in 2020.
When the duke lost a Court of Appeal challenge against the Home Office last year, he gave a BBC interview in which he expressed hopes of a reconciliation with his family, revealing Charles would not speak to him because of his security court case.
At the time, Harry said: "I can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at his point and the things that they're going to miss is, well, everything you know."
The duke, who stepped down from the working monarchy six years ago, has levelled a barrage of accusations at the King, his stepmother the Queen, brother the Prince of Wales and sister‑in‑law the Princess of Wales in his Oprah interview, Netflix documentary, interviews and his autobiography Spare after moving to California.