Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Harry and Meghan UK security arrangements are ‘a private matter’, as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex prepare to relocate to Britain later this month with their two children.
‘It’s a matter for Harry and for Meghan, and we wish them well in the move that they are making,’ Burnham said.
The couple intend to move from the United States to a private, non-royal residence outside London. Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are enrolled to start at a British school in September. King Charles was told of the move on Sunday.
Harry and Meghan UK security: a long-running dispute
Security has been a persistent source of tension for the couple since they stepped back from royal duties in early 2020 and settled in California in March that year. Prince Harry lost a legal challenge last year over the levels of protection he and his family are entitled to while in the UK.
Central to that dispute is the position taken by the body responsible for assessing his security needs. BBC News has reported that the relevant security committee concluded that, because Prince Harry was going to be an infrequent visitor to the UK, his security needs would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
The couple’s security arrangements in California have also shaped the debate. According to The New York Times, the kind of security they had access to while living in California for the past few years is not possible in Britain without government resources. That distinction makes the question of state-funded protection far more consequential now that the couple plan to base themselves in the UK full-time.
The New York Times also reported that Harry at one point even claimed the dispute over his UK security was a plot to keep him in Britain.
No return to working royal roles planned
There are no current plans for either Prince Harry or Meghan to resume their roles as working royals. The Sussexes stepped back from royal duties in early 2020, before moving to California the same year.
The couple were last in the UK in July to visit the King and Queen Camilla, in what was described as a key development in their relationship. The UK Government has not indicated any change to the couple’s official status following that visit.
Buckingham Palace described the July meeting at the King’s private home in Gloucestershire as a ‘private family occasion’. It was the first time the King had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years, and the couple’s first joint visit to the UK since 2022.
The couple’s move to a non-royal residence outside London is expected to take place before the children begin school in September.
