Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Slammed Over Security ‘Blackmail’ Row: Commentator Asks ‘Why Should We Pay?’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have drawn sharp condemnation from royal commentators following reports alleging that the couple are attempting to influence the outcome of an ongoing official review into their taxpayer-funded security provisions.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who relocated back to the United Kingdom late last month following six years in California, are reportedly rumored to be considering an immediate return to the United States should the updated British security assessment—which downgraded their armed police protection following Megxit—fail to meet their expectations. Weighing in on the escalating standoff during an appearance on TalkTV, veteran royal author and commentator Angela Levin described the Sussexes’ posture as coercive:

“It’s blackmail, isn’t it? That’s what I think. If the two of them now, if you don’t give them exactly what they want, when they want, I think it’s a blackmail thing. If they do go back, I’d be delighted; they are real nuisances and extremely unpleasant here [in the UK]. Why should we pay them money for everything they’re doing? They’re not doing anything [for us].”

The dispute regarding taxpayer-funded police protection has served as a central grievance for Prince Harry since his decision to withdraw from frontline duties in 2020.

Despite their recent domestic move into an estate in the Cotswolds and the enrollment of their children in local schools, the monarchy’s formal classification of the couple as “private citizens” has further hardened public resistance against extending state protection, intensifying scrutiny over the financial and constitutional ramifications of their UK presence.