Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘may make choice on UK future inside weeks’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been back in the UK for less than a month, but the couple could reportedly return to Montecito in California for good if the security decision goes against them
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been back on UK soil for less than a month. However, their stay in Britain could be brief if insider reports are accurate.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stunned the globe when they revealed their plans to return from California, over six years after stepping down as working royals with Megxit. The move took many by surprise, but within days the pair were jetting into Birmingham Airport with their children Archie and Lilibet.
However, Harry’s dispute over state-funded security could potentially disrupt their plans. Sources close to the couple told the Daily Mail that the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) decision regarding his security will influence whether the family remains in the UK.
Harry and Meghan want state-funded security(Image: Tony Kershaw / SWNS.com)
Ravec is responsible for overseeing state-funded security for royalty and public figures. Harry and Meghan forfeited their right to state-funded security when they resigned as working royals in 2020, but Harry insists he and his family require the security to ensure their safety in the UK.
Ravec is due to re-evaluate Harry and Meghan’s level of police protection now that they and their two children are full-time UK residents rather than just visitors, reports the Express.
It will examine the risks they face in their new home and in their daily routines, such as during the school run and other regular outings.
Sources close to the couple have suggested to the Daily Mail that Harry and Meghan may permanently relocate to Montecito in California if the verdict is not in their favour, potentially as early as the October half-term break at the end of next month. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have yet to comment publicly on rumours of their return to the USA.
This follows the couple’s decision to switch their children’s school mere days after enrolment due to security worries triggered by the school run traffic.
The names of the schools remain undisclosed, but the family’s private security detail has expressed concerns about the distance and heavy traffic on the initial route.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry returned to the UK recently(Image: Tom Maddick / SWNS.com)
This news emerges just weeks after royal commentator Dickie Arbiter speculated that Harry and Meghan might be planning to depart the UK shortly after their arrival. Arbiter, who served as the late Queen’s press spokesman from 1988 to 2000, is a vocal critic of the Sussexes.
He shared his thoughts during a conversation with TalkTV host Jeremy Kyle, following reports that Harry and Meghan were “surprised” by King Charles’s official declaration that they would be considered “private citizens”.
Charles instructed the Royal Household’s top-ranking official, the Lord Chamberlain, to liaise with key Government and military stakeholders regarding protocols for their status. The letter confirmed that they could not use their ‘HRH’ titles.
Dickie stated: “I’m not sure they are here long-term. I firmly believe that they will go back to Montecito for Christmas because that’s where her mother is. Everybody talks about reconciliation with the King but what about reconciliation with Thomas Markle.”
