Harry and Meghan Security Decision Delayed as RAVEC Meeting Moves Later This Week

On September 7, Buckingham Palace circulated guidance on King Charles’s behalf reaffirming that Prince Harry and Meghan Sussex remain non-working royals. The letter described them as “akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests,” directed questions involving possible use of public funds to Buckingham Palace and sent operational security matters to the relevant police authorities.

The handling of that letter has now become part of the story. The Sussexes say they were surprised by its release, while royal sources dispute that account. At the same time, their security arrangements are due to return to RAVEC for consideration this week.

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex says they were surprised to see the Royal Household had sent out a letter clarifying the official status of Harry and Meghan as non-working royals.

The spokesperson said the pair “were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance.”

But royal sources say Harry and Meghan were made aware of the letter before it was made public.

It is also understood a Home Office security committee is meeting today to look at the possibility of tax payer funded security for the family now they are living back in the UK.

BBC

Chris Ship’s reporting makes clear that the real issue now is security. Palace sources told ITV that the letter simply clarified Harry and Meghan’s status, while sources in Prince Harry’s camp suspect the Palace timed its release to coincide with the RAVEC process.

According to Ship, RAVEC members are due to meet this week to reassess the Sussexes’ circumstances now that their home and children’s school are in Britain. He reports that the committee will also consider whether any protection should extend to Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Harry’s team says the current arrangement, which amounts to access to a police liaison officer, provides no physical protection. The Duke is seeking a police presence for his family, arguing that the threats linked to his position, military service and public profile did not disappear when he stopped carrying out royal duties.

That timetable now appears to have shifted. Sky News, citing the Press Association, now reports that RAVEC will not meet today as first expected. The committee still plans to meet later this week.

That means the central question remains unresolved for now. When RAVEC meets, it will consider whether to grant taxpayer-funded security to Harry, Meghan, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet now that the family lives in Britain.

The delay does not change the substance of the decision facing the committee. Harry’s position is that the family’s return to Britain represents a significant change in circumstances that warrants reconsidering their protection. RAVEC will now have to decide whether those circumstances justify a different level of protection from the liaison arrangement currently in place.

It also adds another layer to the timing of the Palace letter. Buckingham Palace clarified Harry and Meghan’s private status just before RAVEC was due to reconsider their security arrangements later that week. There is still no evidence that the Palace intended the letter to influence RAVEC, but the overlap between the two developments remains difficult to ignore.

The King can circulate letters clarifying status. He can brief against his son’s security demands. But he cannot claim to care about family while leaving his son and grandchildren to fight for basic protection alone, all while publicly funding his disgraced brother, Andrew.