Prince Harry is "Risking the Wrath of the Queen" With This "Calculated Provocation," Says Royal Biographer

Prince Harry was allegedly unhappy when told he couldn't have police protection for his family's visit to the UK—even if he paid for it himself. Harry filed a second lawsuit over the decision earlier this month, and now royal experts reveal why the prince might have had such a "tantrum" over the decision, and why the authorities are said to be resistant to his demands. Here's what Royally Us hosts Christina Garibaldi and Christine Ross have to say about it.

Garibaldi read a comment from a royal watcher called "Jonesy" who questioned Harry's behavior and demands. "The crazy thing about Harry suing the UK Home Office over security is that no one ever said Harry couldn't have security when visiting the UK. He would receive full police protection if he stayed with his brother, father or the Queen, or if attending official events. He's thrown a tantrum regarding security because he wants 24/7 police protection when visiting the UK for his commercial ventures outside of the monarchy. No, why should the British taxpayers fund your police protection for your pursuit of wealth?"

Garibaldi agreed with Jonesy, saying that if Harry "is visiting in a royal capacity, he does have that police protection," and Ross added, "It does sound like that comment is correct, that he's really looking for that police protection when they're here doing their own thing. [And] that's just not how it works."

Garibaldi and Ross spoke to royal security expert Richard Aitch in a previous episode, who pointed out that Harry and Meghan "did receive that police protection" at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, in June. This is because the Jubilee was an "official royal event." "It's vitally important that Prince Harry receives a proper, the right and proper protection," Aitch said. "There is no other reasoning, or excuse, or exemption, or anything laid down where Harry should not actually be afforded this protection. It will make all the difference. You can't expect a poorly trained private security industry – and I'm talking on the global scale, not just in the UK – anywhere near the same level of protection as the Government."

Harry won the right to legally challenge the government's decision to deny him police protection, although the Home Office refuses to comment on the ongoing battle. "The UK Government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate," a government spokesperson told Reuters. "It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' security."

Harry has made it clear he doesn't think his family are safe visiting the UK without police protection. "Duke does not feel safe when he is in the UK given the security arrangements applied to him in June 2021 and will continue to be applied if he decides to come back," Harry's lawyer Shaheed Fatima said. "It goes without saying that he does want to come back to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart. This is and always will be his home."

The Palace's attitude to Harry and Meghan Markle's upcoming trip is reportedly one of "weary resignation," sources tell the Daily Beast. "The chutzpah of those two is unreal. Their proposal for being hybrid working royals was comprehensively rejected [at the Sandringham Summit], but it looks like they are just going ahead and doing it anyway," a former Buckingham Palace staffer tells the publication. 

"To the casual observer, especially overseas and even more especially in America, this will look like Harry and Meghan are back doing royal jobs, especially given that one of the gigs Harry is doing is the WellChild awards for sick children, which he always used to do when he actually was a working royal," says royal biographer Duncan Larcombe. "It will be incredibly high-profile. They will be all over the media, and you won't be able to put a cigarette paper between what Harry and Meghan are doing and what Will and Kate are doing. It's a calculated provocation on their part. They are seriously pushing their luck and risking the wrath of the Queen."