Don’t you know who I am? A “distraught” Prince Harry may well be asking this very question after his request for special police protection during an upcoming UK visit with his family was denied, the BBC reports, with the son of King Charles III now reconsidering whether to go ahead with the trip.
The Duke of Sussex, his wife Meghan and his two children, Archie and Lilibet, were due to make a family visit to the UK for the first time in four years.
His team had put in a formal request for police security while in the UK but it is understood they were told on Friday no taxpayer funded security would be provided.
Instead he would have to put his hand in his own pocket and pay his own way.
The BBC reports, “Sources say that Prince Harry is distraught about the decision, made just days before the family is due to arrive, but he would still like to find a way to make the trip work.”
A government spokesman confirmed to the outlet its protective security system was “rigorous and proportionate.”
“It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security,” the spokesman added.
Prince Harry and Meghan had already accepted an offer to stay on a royal estate during the trip as a guest of King Charles, although the location of the royal residence selected had not been made public.
The California residents were also expected to use private accommodation while in the land of his birth.
Last year, Harry lost a legal battle to have special, dedicated 24/7 police protection while visiting the UK even though he has long ceased to be a working royal, as Breitbart News reported.
The King’s estranged son had unsuccessfully argued he was entitled to police protection given his status at birth.
This is not without precedent.
Since 2019, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – formerly known as the Duke of York – has not been privy to UK taxpayer-funded security and has instead relied on private protection.
The last time the King saw his grandchildren in person was during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.