In a move that is said to be likely to 'risk infuriating' Prince Harry, a report indicates that The King could pay for Prince Andrew’s private security - Harry and Meghan lost their publicly funded security when the couple stepped back from royal duties in 2020.
The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, will lose the privilege of protection from the Met Police as he does not perform royal duties, according to the Mirror. Instead private security will take over his protection at a cost of around £3 million a year, a bill believed to be paid for by the monarch, the Telegraph reported.
Taxpayer-funded police security was also lost when Harry and Meghan stepped down from royal duties, an issue which was discussed by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their bombshell Netflix documentary. The six-part docu-series aired in December with three episodes dropped on two consecutive weeks.
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Speaking about police protection, Norman Baker, former Home Office minister and Privy Council member, told the Sun newspaper: “Armed protection has always been a status symbol for the likes of Prince Andrew. Of course he should pay it himself and not burden the taxpayer because he is a private individual and carries out no public duties. People like David Beckham pay for their own security so why shouldn’t Prince Andrew?"
He added: “We shouldn’t pay for Andrew’s or Harry’s security or any member of the Royal Family that carries out no public duties.”
Prince Harry has since filed two lawsuits over the decision not to allow him to pay for police protection when he is in the UK. The Mirror reported that the Duke of Sussex began a legal challenge against the Home Office in February after his taxpayer-funded security was stripped in 2020 when he stepped down as a working royal and moved to California.
He previously said it was unsafe for him to visit the UK and bring his wife Meghan Markle and their children Archie and Lilibet without protection provided by the police. Earlier this year, Harry won the latest stage of his court fight in his initial claim against the Home Office in the High Court over his security arrangements. The ruling meant he was able to take the case for a judicial review.
Decisions for royal security are made by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, known as Ravec.
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