Prince Harry is reportedly set to continue his campaign for taxpayer-funded security in the UK amid hopes he could visit more with his family.
The Duke of Sussex lost an appeal over the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office last year after the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) decided he should receive a reduced degree of security protection when in the country.
But following a recent visit to the UK for a series of Invictus Games events, during which he also reunited his family with his father King Charles, Harry is reportedly determined to pursue the arrangements once again.
The Mirror reports he will lobby the Home Secretary for security, with sources suggesting he is looking to arrange further meetings with the King to allow him to spend more time with his grandchildren, who have hardly visited the UK since the Sussexes moved to the US in 2020.
The family reunited earlier this month as Harry, Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, met with the king and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House, a country estate west of London.
But the reunion was overshadowed by reports an offer from the King to stay at Buckingham Palace had been “withdrawn at the last moment”.
Buckingham Palace indicated the appropriate hospitality and staffing provisions were no longer available. But the decision reportedly meant Meghan and the couple’s children had to pull the plug on their plans to join the visit, and were only able to come later after flying in from Europe.
The Duke has previously argued his children cannot “feel at home” in the UK if it is “not possible to keep them safe” there, and that he has been “singled out” for “inferior treatment” with his safety, security and life “at stake”.
But Home Office, which is legally responsible for Ravec’s decisions, opposed Harry’s appeal, with its lawyers telling the court it was taken in a “unique set of circumstances” and that there was “no proper basis” for challenging it.
He will return to the UK next year for the Invictus Games in Birmingham and is said to be hopeful his family will be able to accompany him. He currently makes his own security arrangements when visiting the UK.
The Duke of Sussex has been contacted for comment.
