Days into the new year, “sources” told several British outlets that Prince Harry is confident that his police protection will eventually be reinstated in the UK following a Home Office risk assessment. Harry had been asking for a new risk assessment for years, but it was only authorized last fall, following Harry’s visit with his father in September. By all accounts, the assessment has not been completed, and even if the assessment shows that the Sussexes should get police protection, it doesn’t mean it will happen. It just means that the risk assessment will be handed off to Ravec, the committee which ultimately makes the call. All of which to say, I tend to believe that Team Sussex did put it out there that Harry is confident about the assessment. It makes a lot of sense if you think about it as “Harry is trying to ensure that Ravec doesn’t drag their feet or outright reject the Sussexes’ much-needed security again.” Well, welcome to another layer of bullsh-t. The Times of London had a lengthy piece in which “sources” pushed back on all of the reporting about Harry’s positive vibes re: security. Some highlights:

The risk assessment has not been completed: As the Duke of Sussex prepares to return to the UK this month for a high-profile court case, reports have suggested that a decision to reinstate the duke’s police security was “nailed on”. Sources close to the government process, however, have told The Times that a risk assessment of the duke has not yet been concluded.

Harry isn’t meeting his father this month: Charles is understood to be reluctant to meet his younger son while legal proceedings are active [in Harry’s lawsuit against the Mail]. So, while it plays out in the High Court, the King is expected to remain in Scotland as he usually does at this time of year. But is Harry’s war with the press truly the only reason for Charles to stay away?
Over the past four years, Harry, 41, has taken aim not just at the media but the government and the palace, describing a decision to remove his police security in the UK as “a good old-fashioned establishment stitch up”.

Harry’s firm belief that his father could intervene in his security: Harry said in his BBC interview: “There is a lot of control and ability in my father’s hands. Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through him. Not necessarily by intervening, but by stepping aside, allowing the experts to do what is necessary.” Now, in a curious case of trust having been eroded on both sides of the Atlantic, reports suggest that the palace could move to block his renewed attempt to have his police security reinstated. A source told a Sunday newspaper that “security was now nailed on for Harry” following a new risk assessment and that “the only thing that could scupper his approval now would be an intervention from the palace”.

Risk management: This confidence, on Harry’s side, appears to come from his successful bid for a risk management board (RMB), which will reassess his security risk level and provide support accordingly. Yet government sources close to the RMB process said that the assessment had not yet been concluded. A source familiar with the process says: “I have no idea what the RMB recommendation to Ravec [the Royal and VIP executive committee] will be, but what I do know with certainty is that neither does anyone else, since they are still undertaking the review. On that basis, claims that a decision is already ‘nailed on’ seem more like an attempt to manipulate the media into manifesting an outcome from what will be a fair and rigorous review, but one that is very much still ongoing. Whoever is behind them must not realise how transparent and counter-productive to proper process that is.”

The royal sources are furious with Harry, big surprise: The RMB is expected to conclude later this month. It will then report back to Ravec, the executive committee for the protection of royalty and public figures. Those close to the palace have denied that “an intervention from the Palace” could be organised to “scupper” the process. A former royal aide said: “That is an entirely familiar and predictable narrative but one that is both unjust and inaccurate. The palace has no such powers within Ravec. While they sit on the committee it is not their role to advise on threat analysis or appropriate mitigations. That is for the actual intelligence and security experts to advise on — as of course they do whenever the duke’s visits to the UK are being reviewed under the existing Ravec process. Yet when a decision goes against the duke it is claimed to be ‘an establishment stich-up’.”

More visits to the UK: Later this year, Harry is expected to return to promote the “one year to go” marker for the Invictus Games, the Paralympic-style sporting competition founded by Harry for veterans and serving military personnel. In July 2027, the Games will be hosted in Birmingham around the time of Queen Camilla’s 80th birthday. It is not known if Harry plans to bring his wife and children to the event, although his decision may be based on the outcome of his latest risk assessment. Furthermore, the attendance of the King will depend on how his relationship with Harry develops over the next 18 months.

[From The Times]

From where I sit, this is the whole reason for the Times article: “The palace has no such powers within Ravec. While they sit on the committee it is not their role to advise on threat analysis or appropriate mitigations.” This is the palace and the king’s courtiers acknowledging that Harry actually played them for once, that by putting it out there that the palace could f–k up the security situation, Harry has drawn more attention to the role the Windsors and their senior staff play within the security apparatus. They’re so mad that Harry is on their necks! They’re mad because he’s putting it out there, on the record, that if he doesn’t get security, it’s because of the royal household pulling some bullsh-t within Ravec. There’s also an implied threat too – that if Harry doesn’t stop pointing out his father’s dangerous machinations, Charles will stop talking to Harry again.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.