During an interview with BBC journalist Nada Tawfik on May 2, Prince Harry shared about his ongoing legal battle for publicly funded security.
In a letter released later that day on Sussex.com, the website he shares with his wife Meghan Markle, Prince Harry revealed further details about how Meghan was treated by RAVEC, the Royal and VIP Executive Committee responsible for security.
He shared that the committee, which includes aides from the Royal Household, initially denied Meghan security—even if she officially became part of the royal family.
As per People magazine, Harry’s letter named the Royal Household as a key player in RAVEC’s decision-making.
“In November 2017, before the Royal Household’s role on RAVEC was known, this secretive committee concluded that when my wife would join the royal family, she should not receive protection,” Harry wrote.
“Only when I asked for the name of the person willing to carry that risk did they reverse the decision.”
Furthermore, Harry stated that RAVEC refused to conduct its usual annual risk and threat assessment, which he said was a required procedure under their own rules. Due to this refusal, both he and Meghan were stripped of their protection.
He claimed that this move also sent a message to other governments not to offer protection. “This reckless action knowingly put me and my family in harm’s way. Life is precious, and I understand the fragility of it,” he wrote.
“I attempted to resolve this issue privately, even offering to cover the costs…to keep me and my family safe. No one responded directly to me about my offer when I made it, and even though I challenged the refusal to let me pay, my legal claim failed.”
The letter came just after a court ruled against Harry’s appeal to reinstate his publicly funded security. In his BBC interview after the ruling, he expressed how deeply the outcome affected him.
“I thought…the one thing that I could rely on is my family keeping me safe,” he said. He also suggested that his father, King Charles, may have played a role in removing his protection, believing it was done to pressure him and Meghan into returning to the royal fold.
Talking about the implications of the ruling, Harry shared his thoughts on potentially coming back to Britain with his family. “I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point,” he said. “I miss the UK…And I think that it is really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.”
