Harry and Meghan to get fresh security review after UK move
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will have their taxpayer-funded police protection reconsidered now they live in Britain full time.
The call sits with Ravec, the royal and VIP executive committee that decides which royals and public figures get police security paid for by the taxpayer. The committee met last week to discuss the couple's position as full-time residents with their children, rather than as visitors, according to The Guardian.
The Telegraph reported, as cited by The Guardian, that Ravec's chair told Prince Harry last week that the committee had commissioned a fresh risk assessment for him and a separate one for Meghan. That assessment will be the first for the Duchess since the couple stepped back as working royals in 2020. Working royals carry out official duties on behalf of the monarch; non-working royals do not.
Prince Harry was granted a review of his own security in July. No decision had been reached by 14 September. He lost an earlier legal challenge against the Home Office after automatic taxpayer-funded security was withdrawn when the couple stood down.
The Duke and Duchess returned to the United Kingdom on 26 August. Soon afterwards a formal letter issued on behalf of King Charles III restated their position as non-working royals.
The letter described them as akin to "private citizens with commercial and charitable interests". It said any operational security issues should continue to be directed to the relevant police authorities.
Ravec has reportedly asked the couple for details of their schedules and daily routine, including the school run, to inform its decision, The Guardian reported. The Sussexes changed their children's school two days after term started, reportedly over security concerns about a long journey and heavy traffic.
The background is a long legal argument. In July 2022 the Duke won permission to bring part of a High Court claim against the Home Office over the arrangements. In May 2023 he was refused permission to challenge a separate decision on paying privately for police security. In June 2026 the government declined police protection for a family visit, a decision the Duke said could prevent his children meeting the King.
The prime minister has previously described arrangements for the couple's return as a "private matter".
For anyone who has followed the dispute over this protection, the shift matters. Harry has argued for years that decisions should rest on a current threat analysis. A review does not guarantee a return to full protection. It means the paperwork starts again.
No decision has been made yet.
