Prince Harry’s relationship with the Palace is reportedly under strain once again due to his ongoing dispute over his police protection . Following the loss of his legal battle to have his automatic police protection reinstated while in the UK, the Home Office has reportedly ordered a full threat assessment for the first time since 2020, in a significant reversal.
The results of the review by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) are anticipated this month, with sources close to Harry said to be ‘confident’ that it could be restored – potentially enabling him to bring his wife Meghan and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to the UK for a visit.
Insiders previously suggested that having his automatic police protection was “nailed on” and that if a decision did not go Harry’s way, it would imply an “intervention from the Palace”.
However, a former Royal aide has refuted such claims, labelling them as “both unjust and inaccurate”. They told The Times: “The palace has no such powers within Ravec. While they sit on the committee it is not their role to advise on threat analysis or appropriate mitigations.
“That is for the actual intelligence and security experts to advise on – as of course they do whenever the duke’s visits to the UK are being reviewed under the existing Ravec process.”
Meanwhile, government sources have reportedly told the publication that a risk assessment for Harry has not been completed. A source revealed: “I have no idea what the RMB recommendation to Ravec [the Royal and VIP executive committee] will be, but what I do know with certainty is that neither does anyone else, since they are still undertaking the review.”
This comes as it’s understood that Harry is not expected to meet his father, the King, when he returns to the UK this month for his trial against the publisher of the Daily Mail.
Harry is due to journey from California to London for the commencement of his High Court legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).
He was reunited with Charles for the first time in 19 months on his last visit in September, and the pair enjoyed afternoon tea at Clarence House, with the duke describing his father as “great.”
However, the monarch is anticipated to be in Scotland for his traditional post-Christmas stay when the trial is set to start on January 19, although the date and schedule have yet to be finalised.
The Telegraph reported that Royal sources acknowledged the King did not wish to be associated with any court proceedings, so will keep his distance from his son on this occasion.
In May, the duke gave an interview to the BBC in which he claimed the King would not speak to him because of his legal battle with the Home Office over security and he did not know “how much longer my father has” as he expressed his hopes for a “reconciliation”.
The conversation followed the duke’s unsuccessful challenge in the Court of Appeal regarding his security measures during his UK visits. A representative for Harry stated that they do not comment on security arrangements.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
