Prince Harry demands that his security be restored; threatens UK govt of legal action

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, who stepped down as senior member of the royal family, has recently sued the UK government for removing their security, Daily Mail reported. According to media reports, attorneys acting for Harry have written a ‘pre-action protocol’ letter to the Home Office, in which they sought a judicial review of their security when Duke of Sussex is in Britain.

Notably, in 2018, he was made Duke of Sussex months before his wedding to American actress Meghan Markle. Nearly two years into the marriage, both Prince and Meghan stepped down as senior members of the royal family. Since then, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly had to pay the cost of their security on their own.

According to the estimates published by Daily Mail, security for the couple requires approximately $2-3 million annually.
The report said that the Queen was reportedly informed about Harry's petition. Notably, this was the first time that a member of the Royal Family has initiated lawful action against Her Majesty's government. 

"Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life. He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats," read the statement released by Prince Harry’s legal spokesperson.

Prince Harry had paid for his security when he returned after the unveiling a statue of Princess Diana

According to Daily Mail, the UK police gave security to the Duke of Sussex when he arrived in the country to attend the funeral ceremony of Prince Philip. However, when he returned for the unveiling of a statue of Princess Diana at Kensington Palace with his brother William in July, he had to pay for his security on his own.

"The UK will always be Prince Harry's home and a country he wants his wife and children to be safe in. With the lack of police protection, comes too great a personal risk. Prince Harry hopes that his petition - after close to two years of pleas for security in the UK - will resolve this situation. It is due to a leak in a UK tabloid, with surreptitious timing, we feel it necessary to release a statement setting the facts straight," added the statement.

Image: AP