The Duke of Sussex said in a new interview, “All it takes is one lone actor…whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is”
Prince Harry is sharing his fears about bringing Meghan Markle back to the U.K.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, spoke about his safety concerns for his family during a new interview for ITV’s documentary Tabloids on Trial, which premiered on July 25.
“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,” Harry said. “And whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
In 2022, Neil Basu, the former head of counterterrorism for the Metropolitan Police, said that there were genuine threats to the Duchess of Sussex’s life while she lived in the U.K.
“We had teams investigating it. People have been prosecuted for those threats,” Basu said at the time.
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 at the time, Prince Harry said that he needed 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.
