Who will provide security for Harry and Meghan? Ex-royals who were too afraid to go to UK to head to the Hague
The Duchess of Sussex will go to The Hague shortly after refusing to join Prince Harry's family at Westminster Abbey for his grandfather Prince Philip's thanksgiving ceremony less than two weeks ago. Meghan Markle will travel to the Netherlands with Prince Harry for the Invictus Games next week, marking her first journey outside of the United States since leaving the royal family.
Harry and Meghan are due to arrive in the Netherlands on Friday,15 April after traveling from their $15M (£11 million) Montecito estate in California. Police and security agencies in the Netherlands have declined to disclose if they would provide royal protection in the Netherlands, however, it is possible given one of the event's partners is the Dutch minister of defence, who is also in charge of the country's security and terrorism. Despite the royal insiders criticizing the decision in the aftermath of Harry's high court battle over his family's protection, the duo will be accompanied by a Netflix documentary team for the six-day event, according to the Mirror. The High Court heard that Harry did not feel comfortable in Britain without Scotland Yard police accompanying him.
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Harry's legal counsel claimed that while the royal wants to bring his children from the United States to visit, but he is 'unable to return to his house because it is too hazardous'. However, he intends to fly more than 5,500 kilometers across the world to The Hague and Meghan might even join Harry on stage for the opening ceremony of the games, according to one insider who told Daily Mail. It could be a "huge surprise to kick off the event." The insider further said, “Meghan is excited to travel with Harry for the event, which is certainly close to his heart.”
Last April, Harry and Meghan's Archewell Productions unveiled the 'Heart of Invictus' Netflix docu-series. The project is described on their official website as "a multi-episode production that will spotlight a group of extraordinary Invictus Games competitors from around the globe - members of the military community who have experienced life-changing injuries or illnesses - on their road to Invictus Games." After being postponed due to the pandemic, the Invictus Games, an international sports tournament for injured or sick military personnel and veterans from across the world, will be held from April 16 to 22.
Former Met Inspector Ken Wharfe, who served as Princess Diana's, Prince William's and Harry's security officer, questioned why the royals would feel safer in the Netherlands than in the UK. When the Queen recently stated her "sincere wish" that Camilla becomes Queen when her husband Charles becomes King, Harry made no publicly supporting comments to his stepmother. Wharfe said, “[Harry] would have traveled to his grandfather's memorial service with his brother or father and received protection from the Met. It's not like he would have been turning up at Westminster Abbey on a bike. The Dutch police will be doing their own security assessments and liaising with Harry's private security.”
He further added, “But my view it is more of a risk to go to Holland to support a charity with a military link than coming to London last week.” The Dutch government, the Ministry of Defense, and the Royal Protection Service have all declined to comment.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry's spokesperson informed that the actions will be taken depending upon the amount of security danger. The duke had filed a legal challenge against the Home Office in the UK after being told that he would no longer be provided with the "same degree" of personal protective protection while traveling from the United States, although claiming he had volunteered to pay for it himself.
Wharfe stated that "nobody is stopping Harry from bringing his own security to the UK," however they would not be allowed to carry firearms. He also stated that he expected the Met and the Government would "meet him halfway" and send a liaison person to discuss potential dangers, but that the British authorities were "quite right" to take action against him.“Harry wants everything to be the way it was before he left for America,” he said.
The choice for Harry to skip Prince Philip's funeral ceremony, especially one honoring his much-loved grandpa, is sure to aggravate his already poor relationship with his family. Harry was claimed to have wished to return for Philip's thanksgiving service, bringing his children Archie and Lilibet, as well as his wife Meghan. The royal's legal action was believed to have enraged government officials. They allegedly told him that British police personnel are not available for 'personal protective security,' and that it was ''irrelevant' he offered to pay for them himself.' When Harry's grandpa died in April of last year, he returned for the burial, leaving his pregnant wife Meghan and son Archie in America.