Prince Harry Says He ‘Does Not Feel Safe’ Returning to the U.K. With His Family

Through his legal team, Prince Harry has confirmed that he does not feel safe returning to Britain.

On February 18 the Duke of Sussex’s lawyer made a statement to the High Court in London in a preliminary hearing to address the question of police protection for the Sussexes. “This claim is about the fact that the claimant does not feel safe when he is in the U.K. given the security arrangements that were applied to him in June 2021 and will continue to be applied to him if he decides to come back,” attorney Shaheed Fatima said at the Royal Courts of Justice, per The Guardian.

Fatima continued, “And, of course, it should go without saying that he wants to come back: to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart. Most of all, this is, and always will be, his home.”

Prince Harry, Meghan Meghan, and their son Archie first lost their taxpayer-funded police protection when they stepped away from being working royals in 2020 and have spoken about the need for security on multiple occasions. (When the family first relocated to California, they stayed at one of Tyler Perry’s properties because he also gave them the use of his security team.)

In 2020, Prince Harry reportedly offered to pay for U.K. police protection from his own funds when in Britain, citing threats from neo-Nazis, but was not allowed to do so. In January 2022 his legal team sought another judicial review to allow the royal to pay for his own security team while in the U.K. At the time Prince Harry released a statement alluding to “compromised” security during his last visit to the U.K., to unveil a statue of his late mother, Princess Diana.

The statement from January referenced an incident in which the royal was “chased by photographers” as he left a charity event. Notably, a chase from photographers also contributed to the death of his mother, and Harry has previously spoken about his fear of history repeating itself.

“While [Prince Harry’s] role within the Institution has changed, his profile as a member of the Royal Family has not,” the statement emphasized. “Nor has the threat to him and his family.”