The idea that Prince Harry is unable to come to the UK due to safety concerns is "sheer unadulterated nonsense", a security expert has claimed.
Harry is currently locked in a legal battle with the UK government over a decision to downgrade his security.
He is bringing a claim against the Home Office after being told he would no longer be given the same degree of personal protective security when visiting from the US, despite offering to pay for it himself.
The duke wants to bring his children to visit, but he and his family are “unable to return to his home” because it is too dangerous, his legal representative has said.
A spokesperson for Harry confirmed earlier in March that he would miss a memorial service for his late grandfather Prince Philip, but that he hoped to visit the Queen soon.
However, later this week Harry and wife Meghan Markle will travel to the Netherlands to attend the Invictus Games in The Hague.
The couple’s decision to attend the event in The Hague has been blasted by palace insiders after Harry claimed it was “too dangerous” to travel to the UK.
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And now Dai Davies, a former head of royal protection at Scotland Yard, said the idea that Harry is unable to come to the UK due to safety concerns is “sheer unadulterated nonsense”, adding that the duke is “not an expert in security”.
It is not known whether Harry will visit the UK and see his grandmother while he is on this side of the Atlantic for the Invictus Games.
Asked if he would say the UK is a potentially unsafe place for Harry, Mr Davies told the PA news agency: “No I wouldn’t. He would get the same risk assessment as every other royal.
“Most of them now don’t get full-time protection or even half-time protection, so the truth is the UK is far safer than most other places.
“And with great respect, Harry is not an expert in security.”
Mr Davies said that if Harry had attended the memorial service for Philip last month he would have been protected due to being with family members.
“But he chose not to. That’s his prerogative,” he said.
It comes following reports Harry and Meghan will get armed protection from Dutch police during their visit to the Netherlands.
The Express reports that the Games are regarded as a high-profile event warranting protection by the Dutch national police’s DKDB Royal and Diplomatic Security Service and another other state security service, according to sources and media reports in the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, the newspaper also reports that during their time in the Netherlands, Harry and Meghan, who quit as working royals in 2020, will not stay with the Dutch Royal Family on the trip or receive an audience with King Willem-Alexander or Queen Maxima while they are in The Hague.
However, the King is expected to attend the closing ceremony and his aunt, Princess Margriet, is honorary chairwoman of the games and is due to be at the opening ceremony.
