Prince Harry Says ‘It’s Still Dangerous’ To Bring Meghan To The U.K. As Intense Tabloid Scrutiny Continues
Prince Harry recently shared his fears about bringing his wife Meghan Markle back to the U.K. due to safety concerns for his family. The Duke of Sussex, 39, opened up about these issues during an interview for ITV’s documentary “Tabloids on Trial,” which premiered on July 25.
When asked if his high-profile lawsuits against the press are bringing more attention to himself, he laughed and replied, “There is more than enough attention on me and my wife anyway.”
“They pushed me too far,” he continued. “It got to a point where you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t. But I don’t think there’s anybody in the world better suited and placed to be able to see this through than myself.”
“It’s still dangerous, and all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read. And whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, these are things that are of genuine concern to me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
Prince Harry previously said he “felt forced” to step back from his royal role and leave the U.K., citing security concerns for his family. Soon after the couple announced their decision to step back as senior working royals, the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) removed their automatic right to U.K. police security. Although the Duke of Sussex offered to cover the costs of security, the bid was rejected, and earlier this year, High Court judge Peter Lane upheld the decision to downgrade his security.
Prince Harry plans to appeal the decision. “The Duke is not asking for preferential treatment, but for a fair and lawful application of RAVEC’s own rules, ensuring that he receives the same consideration as others in accordance with RAVEC’s own written policy,” a legal spokesperson said.
In a statement to the High Court in London, Prince Harry emphasized the need for police security for his two children — Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3 — “to feel at home” in his native country. “The U.K. is my home. The U.K. 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,” Harry said. “That cannot happen if there is no possibility to keep them safe when they are on U.K. soil.”
“I can’t put my wife in danger like that, and given my experiences in life, I’m reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too,” he added. Prince Harry and Meghan, 42, relocated their family to California in 2020 after stepping back from their roles as working members of the royal family. While King Charles’ son has returned to his home country on multiple occasions since, including his father’s coronation in May 2023, the Duchess of Sussex has only been back to the U.K. on a handful of occasions — most recently, she joined her husband in attending Queen Elizabeth’s funeral events in September 2022.
Their two children were last in the U.K. in June 2022, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended events surrounding Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. The family celebrated Lili’s first birthday with a backyard party at Frogmore Cottage, their Windsor home from which they were asked to leave after moving to the U.S. While Archie was born in England, Lili joined the family after their California move.
During the interview, Prince Harry also discussed his ongoing battle against the tabloids, which he said plays a “central piece” in the rift with his family. “I think that’s certainly a central piece to it,” the Duke of Sussex said. “That’s a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.”
“I’ve made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done. It would be nice if we did it as a family,” he continued. “I believe that, again, from a service standpoint and when you’re in a public role, these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good. But I’m doing this for my reasons.”
Asked about the royals’ decision not to speak out about the issue, he said, “I think everything that’s played out has shown people what the truth of the matter is. For me, the mission continues. But it has caused part of a rift.” However, Prince Harry said that his late grandmother was supportive of him.
“We had many conversations before she passed, this is very much something she supported, she knew how much this meant to me,” he said. “She is up there going, ‘See this through to the end,’ without question.”
When the topic of his father King Charles and sister-in-law Kate Middleton’s recent cancer diagnoses came up, Prince Harry said, “The two things are completely separate. My father and my sister-in-law and me following through on these legal battles are two completely different things.”