Prince Harry makes new bid to have UK security funded by taxpayers reinstated

Prince Harry has made another bid for security in the UK by writing to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood about his case.

The Duke of Sussex has lodged a formal request with the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) asking for a risk-assessment process to be conducted. Ravec, which is overseen by the Home Office, establishes who among royals and VIPs receives protection and at what level by assessing risks like terrorism, extremism, and stalkers.

Last month, Prince Harry reunited with King Charles in London for his first face-to-face meeting with his father in almost two years. Harry publicly expressed hopes of a reconciliation with his family in May.

Sources have now claimed that Harry, who was previously in correspondence with former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, has written to Ms Mahmood. The prince, who moved to the US with his wife Meghan Markle back in 2020 and now lives with his family in California, reportedly asked for Ravec to "abide by its own rules" and carry out a risk management board (RMB) to determine what kind of protection he should receive while in his native country.

READ MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'not entitled to security' despite stalker scare

READ MORE: Meghan Markle bombshell as pal's claim she will 'return to UK this year' sparks mystery

A source close to Harry told The Times that King Charles' son knows the case won't be a priority for Ms Mahmood, but he hopes the assessment will be carried out as soon as possible. "I can confirm that the duke has written to the new Home Secretary asking for a risk management board to be conducted," the source told the newspaper.

"While he realises this will not be top of the incoming secretary's in-tray it is something which should have happened a long time ago. We have had the can kicked down the road for quite a while now but all he's asking is for Ravec to abide by its own rules which state that an RMB should be conducted each year. The last one for the duke was in 2019."

The Times said Home Office sources confirmed that requests for an assessment have been made, but they would not comment on individual cases. A government spokesperson said: "The UK government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. 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 previously complained that he was denied a formal assessment after he and Meghan stepped down as senior royals and his security was downgraded. He has also been to court to try and have his security reinstated. After losing his Court of Appeal challenge in May, the prince said in a TV interview that he "can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK."

Just days ago, it emerged that a known stalker of Harry was "body blocked" by private security during his recent UK visit after the "fixated individual" tried getting close to him on two separate occasions. Harry travelled to the UK last month and attended a series of charity events.

But during his visit, a female stalker entered a "secure zone" at a hotel visited by the Duke in London as he attended a WellChild awards ceremony, the Telegraph reports. Just two days later, the same woman was seen just "a stone's throw" from the duke when he visited Imperial College London's Centre for Blast Injury Studies. A member of Harry's private security staff reportedly "body-blocked" the woman to prevent her from getting any closer.

The woman was found to have a history of following the Sussexes, having been identified as a "fixated individual" by Harry's personal protection team. She was even spotted in Nigeria during the couple's visit in 2024.