The Duke of Sussex is said to be hopeful that his taxpayer-funded security provision will soon be reinstated.
Prince Harry was last month granted the full risk assessment for which he had fought for years following a major U-turn by the Home Office.
Sources now say that the mood music is “positive”, and they are cautiously optimistic that his right to full armed protection will be reinstated.
However, such is the ongoing distrust between the two sides that there remains concern that the Government department could yet intervene and block any developments.
The Mail on Sunday quoted a source close to the Sussexes who said: “It’s now a formality. Sources at the Home Office have indicated that security is now nailed on for Harry.”
The Duke brought a high profile legal claim against the Government over the decision to remove his right to automatic taxpayer-funded security when he quit royal duties to move abroad in early 2020.
He lost the legal battle in May, blaming an “establishment stitch-up”. The Court of Appeal declared that a grievance did not equate to a valid legal argument.
However, the Duke, who has insisted it is not safe to bring his wife, Meghan, or their two children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, to the UK, pursued the matter behind closed doors.
Duke wrote to Home Secretary
The Telegraph revealed in October that he had written privately to Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, urging her to rethink the approach to his security.
It came after a known stalker was said to have got close to him on two separate occasions during his last visit to the UK.
The Duke was told in December that the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) – the Home Office committee responsible for such decisions – had changed tack and had instructed its risk management board (RMB) to reassess his threat level for the first time in nearly six years.
His right to an RMB analysis had formed the main plank of his legal case as he argued that it was impossible to draw fair conclusions without an updated assessment of the threats against him. His last analysis had been conducted in April 2019, when he was deemed such a target that he was put in the highest risk category.
The assessment will be presented to Ravec, which is responsible for making a final decision.
A Home Office spokesman declined to comment on the case but said: “The UK Government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. 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 Duke will travel to the UK later this month for the start of the trial of his High Court legal claim against Associated Newspapers.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.telegraph.co.uk ’
