The Duke of Sussex has made no secret of his desire for privacy, so it’s little wonder he goes out of his way to stay incognito, says a royal expert
Prince Harry doesn’t have his own home in the UK anymore so he has to do what he can to protect his privacy when visiting, says a royal expert.
The Duke of Sussex detailed the extreme lengths he went to meet up with Meghan Markle in their early days of dating without being detected in his book Spare. And now royal author and expert Tom Quinn has also shed light on Harry’s struggles with security issues when he returns to the UK for visits.
In an exclusive chat with The Mirror, Tom said: “Harry is completely obsessed with the idea that any visit to the UK is fraught with security difficulties – hence his continued legal action to challenge the UK government’s decision not to fund his security.”
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Speaking of Harry’s penchant for disguises and going incognito to avoid being hounded, Quinn shared his thoughts on the Duke’s preferences regarding accommodation when he travels to the UK.
Quinn said: “Harry hates the idea of hotels – last time he stayed in a hotel on a visit to the UK he had to leave and arrive virtually in disguise. The problems are even bigger if he plans to stay with friends as he’s convinced, he is always being watched by the media and that they will find out where he’s staying.”
Just earlier this year Prince Harry suffered a huge blow in terms of security when he comes to the UK. Recently, the duke has been locked in a legal battle against the Home Office over the February 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of taxpayer-funded protection when in the country. Ravec’s decision came as a result of a change in Harry’s ‘status’ after he stopped being a “full-time working member of the Royal Family “, a judge was told.
Harry’s lawyers had previously told the court that he was “singled out” and treated “less favourably” in the decision to change the level of his taxpayer-funded personal security. They said a failure to carry out a risk analysis and fully consider the impact of a “successful attack” on him meant the approach to his protection was “unlawful and unfair”.
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The court was told that Harry believes his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet cannot “feel at home” in the UK if it is “not possible to keep them safe” there. At a previous hearing of the case, in a written statement, Harry said: “It was with great sadness for both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020. The UK is my home.
“The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home, as much as where they live at the moment in the United States. That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil. I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.”
But earlier this year, retired High Court judge Sir Peter Lane rejected the duke’s case and concluded Ravec’s approach was not irrational nor procedurally unfair. And in another blow this month, a judicial spokesperson said that Harry has lost his initial bid to appeal against the decision.
