Since Saturday, I’ve been waiting to see if Prince Harry would make a statement about his family’s UK visit being thrown into chaos. Reportedly, Harry, Meghan and their children are on vacation in Europe right now, and it bums me out to think that their vacation has likely been ruined by his brother, his brother’s office and a sadistic royalist media all joining forces to disrupt the family’s visit. Well, today, Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson has issued an on-the-record statement about everything that happened in the past 72 hours.
Prince Harry is still hoping to bring Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to the U.K. next week despite a weekend of growing speculation that the family’s long-planned visit could be in jeopardy over security concerns. After reports emerged over the weekend that Harry was reconsidering aspects of the trip because police protection had not been granted, the Duke of Sussex’s spokesperson emphasized Monday that the planned visit remains on track pending any further update.
The spokesperson stressed that while King Charles has offered the family accommodation on a royal estate, “the issue has never been accommodation,” but rather whether appropriate security will be provided throughout the visit. The spokesperson added that Harry is continuing to explore “every available option” to enable the trip to proceed safely and allow Archie and Lilibet to visit the U.K.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE on Monday, June 29, the spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said: “Prince Harry’s programme in the United Kingdom includes both public and private engagements across the country. Safe accommodation is only one element of an effective protective security plan because risk follows the person, not the place.”
“The issue has never been accommodation,” the spokesperson continued. “The issue is whether appropriate and proportionate protective security is being provided throughout the entirety of the visit. The independent Risk Management Board that RAVEC itself decided was necessary last November has still not taken place. It is therefore difficult to understand how the proportionality of the current arrangements can credibly be maintained without that independent assessment.”
“The Duke continues to explore every available option to enable the visit to proceed safely and to give his children the opportunity to enjoy the U.K.,” the spokesperson added.
After the Sussexes publicly confirmed Friday that Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet planned to travel to Britain, the family was informed later that day that police protection would be provided on royal property but not elsewhere during the visit, according to a source familiar with the matter. That development sparked a weekend of questions about whether the trip could proceed as planned.
A source familiar with the matter says the Sussexes were initially told a Risk Management Board (RMB) review would take place in March but were informed Friday that it had not occurred because such reviews had been paused. The source says the family was then notified that, during their upcoming visit, they would receive police protection while on royal property but not while traveling to engagements or at other locations.
According to the source, RAVEC said its decision took into account information submitted earlier this year as part of the Sussexes’ Threat Risk Assessment. The source, however, maintains that an independent RMB review remains essential because it would have access to government intelligence and security assessments beyond those available to private firms and would provide an objective assessment of the family’s current threat level before recommending appropriate protection.
Just FYI, this basically confirms a big chunk of the Telegraph’s reporting on Saturday, which means that Harry and Meghan’s office was briefing certain British outlets. I don’t know why they would do that rather than just speak on the record to a non-British outlet. As for this asinine crap with RAVEC, I was reminded of some huffy British reporting about a month ago that RAVEC had already confirmed that Harry would have police protection for all of his Invictus One Year to Go events. My guess? RAVEC pulled the rug out when it was clear that Harry intended to bring Meghan and the children, and not only that, but Meghan would attend public events too. The aim of all of this is to not only endanger the Sussexes, but physically separate them and keep Meghan out of the country. Why would RAVEC care unless… oh, right, William and Charles’ courtiers sit on RAVEC.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
