Prince Harry’s current security obstacles “flow from the deal he chose in 2020,” a royal commentator has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s plans to travel to Britain with Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, have been thrown into disarray following a Government decision on security arrangements.
The family had intended to fly from California for a trip beginning in early July. However, the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, known as Ravec, has declined to provide taxpayer-funded police protection during their stay.
News of the decision reached Harry and Meghan late on Friday, reportedly causing considerable distress to the duke. Several Royal Household members sit on Ravec, though they do not chair the committee.
Prince Harry’s current security obstacles ‘flow from the deal he chose in 2020’, a commentator has claimed
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As of Tuesday morning, the Sussex camp has not altered the arrangements previously communicated to GB News, indicating the visit may yet proceed.
Royal author Robert Jobson has offered a stark assessment of the security row engulfing Prince Harry’s planned family visit to Britain.
He told Newsweek: “Every time Harry comes to town the briefings contradict each other. One voice calls it a peace mission. Another calls it a trap. They cannot all be true. That noise is the sound of a divided crown.”
The biographer acknowledged the Duke of Sussex’s motivations were genuine: “Harry’s heart was in the right place. He wanted to bring his children to get to know their grandfather, now they are old enough to remember it.”
A general view of the Norwich Gates on the Sandringham Estate as Prince Harry met with Queen Elizabeth II, then-Prince Charles, and Prince William to discuss his future with the Royal family on January 13, 2020
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King Charles had cautioned his son before his 2020 departure from royal duties about whether he had fully considered the consequences.
Mr Jobson continued: “King Charles asked him, long before he left, whether he had thought it through. Harry believed protection would follow as a matter of course. It did not. The obstacles in his path now flow from the deal he chose in 2020.”
Harry was informed in writing last November that a fresh Risk Management Board threat assessment would be conducted, his first since 2019. He submitted his own risk evaluation to contribute to this process, anticipating results by spring.
Instead, on Friday, he learned the assessment had been suspended indefinitely without any explanation. Hours later, confirmation came that no protection would be granted for the upcoming visit.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pictured at their final engagement in 2020
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It is understood the duke’s frustrations are currently aimed at Palace staff rather than his father. The Palace maintains it has assisted by offering accommodation at a royal residence.
Harry lost a court battle in 2025 to have his police protection reinstated after it was downgraded when he stepped back from royal duties five years earlier.
The duke has consistently maintained that private security arrangements cannot match the capabilities of police protection under British law.
Speaking to the BBC in May 2025, he said: “I never asked [the king] to intervene. I asked him to step out of the way and let the experts do their jobs.”
A Sussex spokesman told GB News on Monday: “The Duke continues to explore every available option to enable the visit to proceed safely and to give his children the opportunity to enjoy the UK.”
He emphasised that safe accommodation addresses only part of the concern: “The issue has never been accommodation. The issue is whether appropriate and proportionate protective security is being provided throughout the entirety of the visit.”
Buckingham Palace’s position remains that determining protection levels is the Home Office’s responsibility.
The trip will mark one year until Birmingham hosts the 2027 Invictus Games, Harry’s adaptive sports competition for veterans. The duke had also scheduled engagements with other charities he supports, including Scotty’s Little Soldiers and WellChild.
Beyond the official programme lay the prospect of Archie and Lilibet meeting their grandfather for the first time since June 2022. Should the visit be cancelled, the children would lose a chance to build a relationship with the King.
Mr Jobson concluded: “Charles would have wanted that too. A hug from grandchildren he has not seen since June 2022. But this is not a normal family. Everything turns on security. It always has.”