Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of doing something “akin to blackmail” by a top royal commentator. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex relocated back to the UK last month along with their children Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.
Since the couple have moved back, the Home Office is still carrying out a review into whether or not they should get taxpayer-funded security. This is something Harry has fought to have multiple times since he quit royal duty in 2020 and had his armed police protection withdrawn. While the outcome of the review is not yet known, friends of the couple have reportedly suggested that if Harry and Meghan do not get the taxpayer-funded police protection, they will move back to America. This was claimed by the Mail’s Editor at Large Alison Boshoff.
The discussion sparked fury on the latest Palace Confidential podcast, with Diary Editor Richard Eden saying that if they do so, it is “akin to blackmail”.
He said: “My goodness, that makes the whole thing seem like… some sort of blackmail.
“The implications of this are massive because if they get it, what that then means is Harry and Meghan can come and go, and they’ll still be getting police protection, and also they can say that they want it in America.
“So those hard-pressed taxpayers in the US might find that they’re having to pay for security too. So it could ease any money worries that they have. Harry and Meghan would be absolutely thrilled. They’d have these huge costs paid for by someone else.”
The family relocated back to Britain last month (Image: Instagram / @meghan)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not had taxpayer-funded security since 2020, when they quit royal life and moved to the US.
The couple have their own self-funded private security team that they use when out and about.
Harry and Meghan have refrained from revealing where they are living as a result of security concerns, and even withdrew Archie and Lilibet from their first British school after believing the school run route posed a safety threat.