A fresh risk assessment has reportedly determined that he now meets the threshold for official protection
Prince Harry could soon have his armed police protection reinstated for when he visits the UK, according to reports.
Sources told The Mail On Sunday that Home Office insiders suggest security was “nailed on” for the Duke of Sussex, who lost a high-profile legal case against the Government’s over his security being downgraded in May.
A fresh risk assessment carried out for the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) has reportedly determined that Harry now meets the threshold for official protection.
A source close to the Sussexes told the newspaper: “It’s now a formality. Sources at the Home Office have indicated that security is now nailed on for Harry.”
It is claimed a ruling to give him back automatic taxpayer-funded police protection will made in his favour in the coming weeks.
Prince Harry’s protection was removed in 2020 after his decision to step back from his role as a working royal.
Ravec, a organisation overseen by the Home Office, launched a new risk assessment after the Duke wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in September, and called for a reappraisal.
Insiders close to Harry say that a reinstatement of armed security has been assured. One said: “It’s now a formality. Sources at the Home Office have indicated that security is now nailed on for Harry.”
The Prince has repeatedly argued that it is not safe for his family to visit the UK without 24-hour armed protection.
Currently he must inform the Metropolitan Police 30 days before arriving in the country in order to apply for a security review. The reviews are carried out on a case-by-case basis.
Harry’s lawyers have argued that his “manifestly inferior” security has put his life “at stake”.
Responding to the claims the protection is due to be reinstated, a Government spokesperson 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.”
Prince Harry’s call for armed protection comes after he was targeted by a stalker who threatened him online.
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He was given police protection for one day on a trip to the UK in September where he attended a children’s charity event at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, and the woman was able to enter it via a “secure zone”, The Telegraph reported.
Two days later, when he was without police protection during a visit to Imperial College London, she got within a “stone’s throw” of him and attempted to approach him, it is claimed.
It is alleged she was only prevented from doing so by a member of his private security team.