
Prince Harry received cast-iron assurances his family will be protected by specialist police when he touches down in the UK.
The Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan Markle are flying in from California with their own personal security detail but will become the Metropolitan Police’s responsibility when they disembark.
It will be only the second time Meghan Markle has returned to the United Kingdom in more than two years since the couple dramatically quit their royal positions in 2020.
The couple are bringing their two children Archie, three, and Lilibet, who turns one on Saturday.
Security sources have revealed the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection unit has spent weeks liaising with the Prince’s team and guaranteed taxpayer-funded officers.
Harry, 37, has been embroiled in a legal row with the Government over a Home Office decision to strip him of his UK security.
Lawyers for the Duke, who fled to Canada and later set up home in the US seeking financial independence, told the High Court he was unable to return home over fears it’s too risky.
Sources close to the Sussex camp said Harry was always in favour of returning to the United Kingdom for the celebrations.
The Duke even later made an offer to pay the Met for the protection of fully trained officers but was told they were not guns for hire.
In the US, the family are protected by a rotating 24-hour unit, understood to consist of up to 12 former special forces personnel and highly trained armed security professionals.
A source close to the Sussex camp said that for Harry, this has always been about protecting his family and that he’s been in regular communication with the applicable parties and made it extremely clear that he wouldn’t travel without obtaining cast-iron assurances over the safety of his family.
And he’s satisfied the right procedures are in place and they’re all very much looking forward to this week’s celebrations and of course getting to spend time with Her Majesty.
Harry and Meghan in early April enjoyed a brief private meeting with the 96-year-old monarch and each a 15-minute meeting with Prince Charles before they rushed off to the Invictus Games in The Netherlands.
The Duke and Duchess promised Her Majesty they would bring the children to see her in the immediate future, but Harry days later provoked anger among senior royals when he told an American broadcaster that he flew in to meet the Queen ahead of a trip to The Hague to make sure she was protected and had got the right people around her.
The pair have not only ignored the wishes of most UK citizens, but they’re also coming across regardless and British taxpayers are having to foot the bill for their protection.
I do like Harry, but I don’t see why the British taxpayer should be footing the bill for them to come over to the United Kingdom. He decided to leave his royal duties and go to another country and to be completely independent, but it seems to be when it suits him.
Why should the people of this country be saddled with protecting millionaires and billionaires while the people of this country are struggling and our Government is borrowing against our children’s future, it’s all very wrong?
However, it’s fair to say that these two are going to need it once in the United Kingdom because they’re really not liked much and people appear to do crazy things these days, so it’s understandable if they don’t feel safe, but then if they don’t feel safe, stay where you are and save our taxpayers some money.