Prince Harry’s security arrangements in Britain will remain under review, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has confirmed, amid warnings relying on private bodyguards could expose the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to potentially serious risks, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Sir Mark Rowley made the comments during an interview with Nick Ferrari on UK radio station LBC, explaining that decisions about taxpayer-funded police protection are determined through a national assessment involving government officials, police and intelligence agencies.
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Security Arrangements Remain Under Review
Prince Harry’s UK security arrangements remain under review.
His intervention follows renewed scrutiny of the protection available to Harry, 42, and his wife Meghan Markle, 45, after their departure from official royal duties.
Asked whether the couple should receive police protection, Rowley said: “There is a national process which looks at the risk posed to different people and assesses whether they need personal police protection. There are a small number of tens of individuals who justify that.”
Pressed on whether Harry’s arrangements were being reconsidered, Rowley added: “Clearly, he has said publicly he used to be protected; he isn’t now. We will keep that under review. It’s not my decision. There’s a government committee that does it, which ourselves, security services, and others sit on and feed all the information together to make that assessment about who needs that level of protection.”
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Rising Threats Put Public Figures’ Safety in Focus
Police chief Mark Rowley warned of growing threats against public figures.
The commissioner also highlighted growing threats against politicians and other public figures, describing an “angry, more polarized world” in which hostility online and international developments were contributing to heightened security concerns.
He said: “We want people to be prepared to step into public life and make their case. It’s part of democracy.”
Rowley added: “We don’t want people to be threatened in that world.”
Security specialist Richard Aitch, a former Royal Military Police protection officer with three decades of experience safeguarding royals, diplomats and military commanders, separately questioned whether commercial security arrangements could adequately protect the Sussexes.
Aitch argued private bodyguards lacked access to the intelligence, legal powers and operational resources available to specialist police protection units, regardless of their individual experience.
He said: “When you’re talking the difference between the police environment and the commercial sector, what you have commercially is a limitation and restriction of capability.”
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Former Protection Officer Questions Security Assessments
Former Royal Military Police protection office Richard Aitch warned private security could leave the Sussexes at risk.
He warned that deficiencies in training, resources, or operational planning could leave the couple “rolling the dice” with their safety.
Aitch also challenged the reasoning behind decisions made by RAVEC, the committee responsible for assessing protective security requirements for members of the royal family and other prominent individuals.
He said: “You can’t tell me that they have made a determination that the risk of threat against Prince Harry has substantially reduced due solely to the fact of his relinquishing of royal duties.”
He added: “If anything, it’s increased.”
Aitch maintained Harry’s protection requirements should depend on the threat assessment rather than whether he was visiting Britain or residing there permanently.
Describing the dispute as “a quagmire of epic proportions,” he questioned accountability for security decisions and urged officials to reconsider previous assessments whenever new evidence warranted changes.
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Security Expert Emphasizes Planning and Privacy
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Security experts warned the Sussexes about sharing personal details online.
He also emphasized the importance of planning for routine family journeys, including school runs, assessing traffic congestion, travel times, and the possibility of vehicles becoming separated.
Aitch said: “The actual delivery of a protection operation is the easy part… The whole work effort is in the preparations for that.”
He also noted security advisers should also guide families on sharing photographs, contact information, and other personal details.