Majority of Britons say Prince Harry should have police protection in Britain but 37% say he should pay for it himself, YouGov poll reveals
- The majority of the British public think the prince should have protection
- Read more: Are Harry and Meghan planning to sue makers of South Park?
Prince Harry should have police protection, most Britons think, but many believe he should pay for it himself.
More than half of the public believe the second son of the King should have protection from the state – but 37 per cent through he should pay for it himself, according to a YouGov poll.
More than a quarter of people (28 per cent) thought he shouldn’t get police protection at all, as his judicial review case rumbles on.
The prince, who moved to California with wife Meghan Markle after stepping down from royal duties in 2020, launched a legal battle after his right to guards was withdrawn.
His legal case against the Home Office over the police security for his family has already cost the state nearly £300,000, a freedom of information request has revealed.
Prince Harry has argued that it would be unsafe to bring his children to visit Britain without guaranteed police protection (pictures in Germany in September)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been invited to the Coronation but the couple have not publicly announced whether they plan to attend (file image from November 2019)
The Duke insists his family requires round-the-clock protection, even though royal security is automatically in place for formal events as well as at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.
Figures obtained through the Freedom of Information Act have revealed that the court case – which has been ongoing since autumn 2021 – has already cost the UK Government £296,882 to defend.
The Duke insists his family requires round-the-clock protection, even though royal security is automatically in place for formal events as well as at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.
Read more: A.N.Wilson: Forget King Charles’s family, the Royals’ life of luxury is at OUR expense
John O’Connor, a former commander at Scotland Yard, told The Sun: ‘To expect protection provided by the state is arrogant and irrational.
‘It is only vanity anyway. He only wants protection because he thinks his importance is downgraded without it.’
The pair were recently skewered by a South Park episode which sees a ginger prince and his wife campaign desperately for privacy.
Harry and Meghan’s lawyers are ‘casting an eye’ over animated sitcom South Park, a royal commentator has claimed, after it launched a series of attacks against the couple.
The satirical series ridiculed the couple’s demands for privacy while on a publicity blitz for the Duke’s autobiography, Spare, and their Netflix series in a brutal episode last week.
Now it has been suggested the broadcast may have ‘legal ramifications’ with the Sussexes’ lawyers.
Royal commentator Neil Sean told Fox News that representatives for the pair are now watching the series closely for any more attacks.
He said: ‘According to sources close to the ex-Royals, it appears that, like so many things with Meghan and Harry, this may have legal ramifications attached.’
The prince and princess are seen deciding to flee Canada after ‘bashing’ the monarchy
‘Their legal team are casting an eye over the episode to see what is wrong, and what could be turned into something more sinister.’
As pressure builds as the date for the coronation looms larger, Prince Harry is not the only senior royal whose role is in question.
Prince Andrew, the younger brother of the King, is unlikely to play a formal part at the coronation after he stepped down from royal duties in 2019 in disgrace over sex abuse alleged by Virginia Giuffre, one of billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, which he denies.
It comes after reports that the King will not leave the Duke of York ‘homeless and penniless’ as the upkeep of the £30million Royal Lodge in Windsor proves too much for him.
The disgraced duke has told friends he will not be able to afford the upkeep at Royal Lodge when his annual £249,000 grant is slashed from April.
He claims that by September he will effectively be forced out of the 30-room mansion, which has a swimming pool and is set in 98 acres.
The late Queen supported Andrew with private funds from the Duchy of Lancaster, but King Charles, 74, has made no secret of his desire for a slimmer monarchy, believing it is what the public wants.
The Duke was spotted riding in Windsor on Saturday as friends say he is ‘less bothered’ about the loss of his royal roles than the public might think
The disgraced duke has told friends he will not be able to afford the upkeep at Royal Lodge when his annual £249,000 grant is slashed
He is reviewing how money is spent since taking control of the £652.8million Duchy of Lancaster fund – also known as the Privy Purse – and has told non-working royals to expect to have to tighten their belts.
The duke has told friends he feels he is being singled out, as his only other annual income is a small Navy pension.
One friend said: ‘It feels as though his brother wishes to evict him.’
But last night a source told the Daily Mail the claims seem to be based on ‘fears, not full facts’.
It is understood the King will not leave him homeless or penniless, but wants Andrew to use his own money to pay for things.
It is understood that all members of the Royal Family have been told to tighten their belts and to expect less money from the Duchy – now owned by Charles – than in the past
The King is expected to continue to support his brother if he wishes, with fears of the duke being left without somewhere to live or any money ‘unfounded’.
Read more: Insiders speak out about Duchess of York – who once said she was ‘continually on the brink of bankruptcy’
He is believed to have guaranteed Andrew an income – albeit reduced – and a home, and is understood to have agreed to pay privately for the duke’s security, estimated at £3million a year, after the Home Office axed his Scotland Yard protection officers.
The Duke of York is also thought to have received a substantial inheritance from his parents, the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Andrew signed a 75-year lease for Royal Lodge in 2003 for a one-off £1million. The terms of the lease require him to pay for recommended renovations.
Documents reveal the total spent on repairs exceeds £7.5millon.
Andrew and Sarah divorced in 1996 but remain close friends, and she moved into Royal Lodge in 2008. She also has a £5million townhouse in London’s Mayfair.
Andrew was given a house in Sunninghill, Berkshire, as a wedding gift by the Queen, but chose to sell it for £15million to a Kazakh billionaire.
The late Queen is said to have paid his out-of-court settlement to Mrs Giuffre – reportedly £12million – in February 2022. The duke is now seeking to overturn it.
Andrew has been evicted from Buckingham Palace and told he cannot have an apartment or office there when its £369million renovation is completed in 2027.
Buckingham Palace refused to comment.
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