Prince Harry and Meghan’s Threat to Leave Britain Over Security Branded ‘Blackmail’

On the latest Palace Confidential, Diary Editor Richard Eden and a panel of royal commentators examined reports that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could consider returning to California if they are refused taxpayer-funded security in the UK.

Mail Editor at Large Alison Boshoff reported over the weekend that friends of the Sussexes believe the couple may leave Britain if a Home Office review denies them automatic police protection.

Speaking alongside columnist Sarah Vine and royal biographer Robert Hardman, Eden described the reported ultimatum, coming so soon after their return, as “akin to blackmail” and an apparent attempt to influence the review.

He said it would be “outrageous” for the Sussexes—whom the King recently reaffirmed are effectively private citizens—to receive the same level of protection as working members of the Royal Family.

Harry lost his automatic taxpayer-funded security in 2020, after he and Meghan stepped back from royal duties and moved overseas. He later failed to overturn that decision in court, while their return to the UK has prompted a new review.

“My goodness, that makes the whole thing seem like… some sort of blackmail,” Eden said, suggesting the couple’s position amounted to: “We’ll move to Britain in an attempt to get the taxpayers to pay for security.”

Eden said the consequences could be significant if the Sussexes received the protection they are seeking. “Harry and Meghan can come and go, and they’ll still be getting police protection,” he explained, adding that they could then argue for similar protection while in the United States.

“So those hard-pressed taxpayers in the US might find that they’re having to pay for security too,” he continued. “So it could ease any money worries that they have.”

“Harry and Meghan would be absolutely thrilled. They’d have these huge costs paid for by someone else,” Eden added.

The panel also considered whether a decision in the Sussexes’ favour could lead to them being recognised as internationally protected persons.

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That designation, which applies to diplomats, could require other countries to provide protection for the couple when they travel abroad.

Harry and Meghan maintain that, as the King’s son and a former Afghanistan serviceman, he faces the same level of risk and deserves protection comparable to that provided to other senior royals.

Eden countered that the King’s own siblings do not receive permanent protection, with security provided only when they are undertaking official royal duties.

Vine predicted that Harry could eventually return to official duties in some capacity, describing it as an “inevitability” if security were granted on that basis.

“They will say you can have the protection, but you need to start doing some royal duties,” she said.

“Maybe not Meghan, just Harry. He’s good at that stuff and if he does it on his own, then she doesn’t need to be involved. She can’t get upset about it. It sort of makes sense.”

Hardman, however, stressed that security decisions are based solely on the level of threat, rather than being negotiated as part of a transaction.

He said: ‘I don’t think it can be on the basis of, you get an extra copper with an earpiece if you cut a few ribbons. It doesn’t really work like that.

‘The people judging security are not interested in plaque unveilings, ribbon cuttings and hospital openings. They’re just interested in the threat, and I think that’s how it’ll be decided.’

Watch the full episode, including more analysis of the fallout from Earl Spencer’s explosive memoir, on Palace Confidential’s YouTube channel and subscribe so you never miss an episode.