Harry and Meghan return to Britain without taxpayer-funded security as Home Office reviews their protection
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have returned to Britain with their two children — but their arrival has highlighted an unresolved issue that has followed the Duke of Sussex for years: who should pay for his security?
The Sussexes landed at Birmingham Airport on Wednesday with Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, beginning an extended return to Britain after six years living in the United States.
Despite their return, the family was not given a publicly funded police convoy for the journey from the airport to their new home, believed to be somewhere in the Cotswolds.
Instead, Harry and Meghan were reportedly provided with the contact details of a police liaison officer, with no immediate increase in taxpayer-funded protection.
Harry remains unhappy with the arrangement and has instructed his lawyers to ask Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to reconsider the decision.
The Home Office is now understood to be reassessing the situation following the couple’s decision to make Britain their home again rather than simply visiting the country. Reuters has also confirmed that the family intends to remain in the UK for an extended period while keeping their California property.
Harry’s security battle continues
Harry’s dispute with the Home Office over his security has been ongoing since he and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020.
After losing their status as working royals, the level of protection provided to Harry and his family in Britain changed.
The Duke has repeatedly challenged that decision through the courts, arguing that the security arrangements do not adequately reflect the risks he faces when visiting Britain.
Now that he and Meghan have chosen to spend an extended period living in the UK, Harry hopes the circumstances surrounding his protection will be reconsidered.
Reports indicate that the Home Office is actively assessing his case.
Protective-security decisions involving senior public figures and members of the Royal Family are made through Ravec, the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures. The committee includes representatives from the Home Office, Metropolitan Police and Royal Household and provides advice through an independent chairman.
The Government has declined to discuss the Sussexes’ specific arrangements, saying detailed information about protective security is not normally disclosed because doing so could compromise security.
Harry has his own private security team
While the family has not been given the level of taxpayer-funded police protection Harry wanted, his private security arrangements remain in place.
Harry’s security adviser, David Langdown, is understood to be overseeing their protection.
Langdown has known Harry for at least 15 years and is believed to have assembled a team of British security personnel whom he knows and trusts.
The issue has nevertheless drawn criticism from former royal protection officers.
Scott Hamer, who previously provided protection for King Charles when he was Prince of Wales, described the current arrangement as difficult to understand.
Hamer argued that Harry’s perceived level of risk should be considered when determining whether police protection is appropriate.
He also compared Harry’s situation with the protection provided to former prime ministers, saying that several former prime ministers continue to receive publicly funded security.
His comments have added further pressure to a debate that has remained unresolved since Harry ceased being a working royal.
A closely watched arrival at Birmingham Airport
Harry and Meghan arrived at Birmingham Airport aboard a Bombardier Global Express XRS private jet from Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles.
The aircraft was chartered through Planet Nine Private Air, a California-based private aviation company. Its use was reported to cost approximately $12,000 (£9,000) per hour of flight time.
The couple left the airport around 20 minutes after landing in a £80,000 Mercedes-Benz V220d.
They travelled through a private section of the airport, but no publicly funded police convoy accompanied them as they left.
The arrival was closely watched because it marked the beginning of a significant change in the family’s relationship with Britain.
Why Harry and Meghan are returning
The Sussexes’ decision to return to Britain came as a surprise after they left the country in 2020 and established their home in Montecito, California.
They will remain non-working royals and are not expected to live in a royal residence or resume official royal duties.
Their children, Archie and Lilibet, have been enrolled in schools in Britain and are due to begin the new school year.
The family also intends to maintain its properties in California and Portugal, meaning their life will continue to span both sides of the Atlantic.
Reuters reported that the couple’s return has generated intense interest in Britain, with commentators and branding experts debating whether the move could provide a fresh chapter for their public and commercial lives.
Harry wants his children to know Britain
Harry has previously made clear that he wants his children to have a stronger connection with Britain and with the country where he grew up.
The move also gives Archie and Lilibet an opportunity to spend more time with their grandfather, King Charles III.
The couple took the children to see Charles at Highgrove last month, marking the first time the King had seen his grandchildren in four years.
Their return comes while Charles continues his own health treatment.
Harry’s relationship with his father has improved in recent months, but his relationship with his older brother, Prince William, remains deeply strained.
The brothers are understood to have had little contact since tensions surrounding Harry and Meghan’s departure from royal duties and the subsequent interviews, documentaries and Harry’s memoir.
A new life outside London
Harry and Meghan are expected to live at a non-royal property outside London, with the Cotswolds reportedly among the areas under consideration.
The couple have not announced the exact location of their new home.
Their return therefore does not represent a restoration of their former royal roles.
Instead, they are attempting to establish a life in Britain on their own terms while continuing to maintain their homes and interests overseas.
That distinction is important because the couple’s security dispute is now being considered against a different backdrop.
Harry is no longer simply a visiting member of the Royal Family arriving from the United States. He and his immediate family are now planning to spend substantially more time in Britain.
The Government’s position
A Government spokeswoman said the UK’s protective-security system is “rigorous and proportionate” and stressed that detailed arrangements would not be disclosed.
That position leaves the central question unresolved: whether Harry’s new circumstances will eventually result in a higher level of taxpayer-funded protection.
For now, the family has private security and access to a police liaison officer rather than the publicly funded protection Harry has sought.
The Home Office review could change that position, but no decision has yet been confirmed.
Harry and Meghan’s British return enters a new phase
The Sussexes’ arrival in Birmingham was intended to mark the start of a new chapter for their family in Britain.
Instead, it has immediately placed Harry’s long-running security dispute back under the spotlight.
The couple have returned after six years in the United States, their children are preparing to attend school in Britain and Harry is hoping to spend more time with his father.
At the same time, the family remains outside the working monarchy and continues to maintain its overseas homes.
For now, Harry’s protection remains the unresolved issue hanging over the move.
Whether the Home Office’s latest assessment ultimately changes that arrangement could determine how safely — and how permanently — the Sussexes are able to build their new life back in Britain.