Earlier this year, Prince Harry lost the last part of his years-long effort to get British police security during his visits to the UK. After he lost the case, he immediately hopped in front of a BBC camera and called the situation an establishment stitch-up. At least one security expert agreed with Harry’s assessment. Months later, Harry visited the UK for four days to make some charity appearances and meet his father for tea. For that visit, and for his subsequent trip to Ukraine, Harry only had his private security in tow. But having tea with his dad shifted something, and in October, Harry formally requested that the Home Office finally do a risk assessment for himself, his wife and children. As in, no risk assessment had been done since 2019, so the police were poorly judging Harry’s security needs on outdated information, almost as if there was establishment collusion to put Harry in mortal danger whenever he set foot in the UK. Well, an update: Harry is getting a new risk assessment.

Prince Harry has won a Home Office review of the decision to strip him of 24-hour armed police protection on visits to the UK. The U-turn could pave the way for a reunion between the King and grandkids Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, who live in the US. Charles last saw them in June 2022 during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations but Harry has since said it is not safe for them to visit Britain. The Duke of Sussex blamed an “establishment stitch-up” after losing a High Court fight this year to reinstate his taxpayer-funded privilege.

But The Sun can reveal the Home Office has now ordered a threat assessment for the first time since Harry stepped down as a working royal in 2020. Harry, who served in Afghanistan, was previously said to face the most serious risk, alongside only the late Queen and the PM. But it is claimed his rating had fallen during an assessment in February 2020, meaning his automatic right to armed protection was removed. He then left for the US, where his annual security bill is estimated to run into millions.

The Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) has now instructed its Risk Management Board to reassess his threat level for the first time in nearly six years. It is understood the process is already under way, with evidence taken from police, government and Harry’s team.

A decision is expected next month from the government body, which is overseen by the Home Office. If it rules he requires armed protection then taxpayers would pay for it whenever he is in the UK.

Harry currently has to contact the Met Police 30 days before arriving in the UK for a security review on a case-by-case basis. Sources have argued that is more expensive than a few salaried armed officers on the rare occasions he does return.

In May, the Home Office said it was “pleased” with the High Court decision not to reinstate his automatic protection. However the California-based duke claimed he did not feel safe enough to bring his family here.

A government spokesman said last night: “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.”

[From The Sun]

If you want to take a deeper dive around why “it is claimed his rating had fallen during an assessment in February 2020,” Byline Times did a fascinating investigation into all of that in 2023. They have documentation and sourcing which uncovered the extremely toxic situation involving Dan Wootton, Christian Jones, Prince William and then-Prince Charles deciding to “punish” Harry because Harry refused to drop his lawsuits against the press. Harry was also demanding a thorough investigation into Christian Jones, who worked for William at the time. Meaning… whatever happened in February 2020, it wasn’t about the actual security risks, it was about a high-level cover-up of royal misdeeds.

As for the Home Office deciding NOW that they should do a risk assessment… it seems clear to me that Charles/Buckingham Palace likely gave the go-ahead. Charles does want to see Harry again, although I’ll never believe that Charles gives a sh-t about his ginger grandchildren or Meghan.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.