Prince Harry’s ‘unreasonable expectation’ ahead of UK return a major ‘mistake’

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Prince Harry is due to make a trip to the UK in the coming days to attend a High Court hearing – and it seems he will be entitled to some police protection during his stay in his home country

Prince Harry has made a ‘mistake’ with an “unreasonable expectation” ahead of his return to the UK in the coming day, an expert has claimed.

The Duke of Sussex is due to travel to London from his US home to attend his forthcoming High Court trial against News Group Newspapers, which starts on Tuesday. During his trip, it has emerged he will be given “limited police protection” despite losing his legal battle for taxpayer funded security.

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has agreed to provide the Duke of Sussex with armed officers from the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command, a source said. It comes after Harry lost a legal challenge last year over his protection when in the UK. He was contesting a decision to downgrade his security status when he stopped being a working royal.

It is unclear where Harry will stay in the UK as he no longer has a UK residence. It is understood that he was offered a place to stay at Buckingham Palace but turned it down. And former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes this is an unwise decision.

She told the Mirror: “I think he will be mildly annoyed that he is not being given full police protection, but this is a step in the right direction as far as he is concerned. I think it is a PR mistake to turn down accommodation at Buckingham Palace, where security is guaranteed and already paid for.

“It seems unreasonable to expect police protection around a hotel just because he chooses to turn down a perfectly good offer of secure accommodation.” When Harry comes to his home country, his wife Meghan will remain at home with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. She has not been back on UK soil since September 2022 at the time of the late Queen’s death.

At a previous hearing over his security arrangements in the UK, he said it was unsafe to bring his wife and children to the UK unless they are automatically afforded police protection. And Jennie added: “I still don’t think he will feel comfortable bringing Meghan and the children here unless there is a guarantee of full police protection. And I suspect Meghan has no particular desire to come back here anyway.”

On Harry recent fleeting visits to Britain, many have wondered whether he would meet up with his estranged royal relatives, especially his father King Charles and brother Prince William. Harry appears to have last seen his father almost a year ago when he dashed to the UK when news of the monarch’s cancer diagnosis was made public.

Harry has been to the UK several times since but has not seen his dad, who is still having cancer treatment. Reports have suggested the pair are not on speaking terms with the issue of his security proving a sticking point for the pair. Meanwhile, Harry is not believed to have spoken to William, with whom he has had an icy feud with for several years, since the late Queen’s death.

The pair did come together to attend the memorial service in Norfolk of their late uncle Lord Robert Fellowes, the husband of their aunt Jane, a sister of their late mother Princess Diana. Despite the brothers attending the service, their pair are not believed to have spoken and kept their distance from each other.

And Jennie added any family meet ups in the weeks ahead seem unlikely – but there is still a possibility. She added: “I think we’ve given up expecting any meeting between Harry and his family when he visits the UK. I imagine that his days will be consumed by the court case, but if there is a chance of meeting his father, I suppose it is possible.

“However, there is absolutely no sign of any reconciliation between Harry and William. So any meeting between them is remains unlikely in the extreme.”