London: Prince Harry is waiting on an official review of security before learning whether he and his family will gain government support to protect their personal safety after their surprise decision to settle in the United Kingdom.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham declared the security arrangements were a “private matter” despite a growing public debate about the safety of the prince and his family when they return from California within weeks.
Harry and his wife Meghan have taken others in the royal family by surprise with their plan to settle in a private residence outside London from early September so their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, can start the school year at English schools.
Security concerns are the subject of major debate in Britain after the death of former conservative politician Ann Widdecombe at her Devon home in July. Joshua Kerry, 28, has been charged with her murder.
Burnham did not rule out a decision to give more government support to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex upon their return to Britain, but suggested the arrangements would be their business.
“It’s a matter for Harry and for Meghan, and we wish them well in the move that they are making,” he said.
The remarks, made to the media while the prime minister visited an event in Yorkshire, heightened the speculation about a decision within government on whether the prince should be allocated personal protection officers at public expense.
Harry has fought for help with security in the UK for several years but lost his claim in May last year when three Court of Appeal judges ruled there was nothing unlawful in the official decision to reject his request.
While his lawyers argued that he had been given “inferior treatment” as a member of the royal family, this did not convince the court.
The judge delivering the decision, Geoffrey Vos, ruled that Harry’s “sense of grievance” about the matter did not amount to a basis for an appeal.
“From the Duke of Sussex’s point of view, something may indeed have gone wrong, in that an unintended consequence of his decision to step back from royal duties and spend the majority of his time abroad has been that he has been provided with a more bespoke, and generally lesser, level of protection than when he was in the UK,” said the judge.
“But that does not, of itself, give rise to a legal complaint.”
The Telegraph revealed the plan to return to the UK and said there were no current plans for either the Duke or Duchess of Sussex to return to their official working roles in the royal family, but it noted that the move raised the prospect that they might do so in the future.
There was no statement from Buckingham Palace on the major change within the family, but royal sources said Harry could not be a private citizen in a “half in, half out” role that combined some royal duties.
Meghan is expected to continue with her lifestyle brand As Ever, to be run from England.
Harry has major charity commitments including his leadership of the Invictus Games, which he founded in 2014 to help military personnel recovering from physical and mental disabilities.
The next Invictus Games are due to be held in Birmingham next year, and Harry is said to want his father to attend the opening ceremony.
The duke and the duchess retain their titles but gave up their royal duties to live in California six years ago. Their frank disclosures about royal life in a Netflix series and a television interview with Oprah Winfrey have contributed to an ongoing rift within the royal family.
While the court rejected Harry’s appeal about security, a new decision could be made on how his personal safety is protected when he and his family return to the UK.
The assessment is to be made by a “risk management board” within the government, setting up a potential pathway to a compromise that protects the family.
There have been signs that British voters may be shifting their view of Harry, and that his return to the UK could restore some of his former popularity.
“The public still tend to view the Sussexes in a negative light, though there has been a small upward trend in Prince Harry’s ratings over the last year,” said polling firm YouGov last month.
“A third of Britons (33 per cent) now see him favourably, up six points since May 2025, while the proportion with a negative view of the Duke has fallen five points over this period to 58 per cent.
“Only 22 per cent of Britons see Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in a positive light, relative to two thirds (65 per cent) holding an unfavourable opinion of the American princess.”
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David Crowe is Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.
