Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have arrived in the UK, and their trip has reignited the long-running fight over their taxpayer-funded security. Telegraph columnist Michael Deacon has weighed in on the dispute, arguing the couple lost their claim to state protection the moment they stepped back from royal life.
Harry and Meghan gave up their roles as working royals in 2020, a decision that triggered the downgrade of their state-funded security under the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, known as Ravec.
Harry has spent years challenging that decision in court and through direct appeals to the Home Office, arguing the risk to his family was inherited at birth rather than tied to his royal duties. A new Ravec risk assessment reportedly took place last month, with a decision still pending.
Deacon’s column frames the couple’s situation as a matter of consequence rather than injustice, arguing that stepping away from public service carries a trade-off the Sussexes chose for themselves.
“As far as I’m concerned, the charming couple forfeited their entitlement to taxpayer-funded protection when they chose to renounce their royal duties and live as private citizens,” he wrote. “I’m afraid, dear Harry and Meghan, that this is the deal. You are now free. But your security isn’t.”
Not everyone in Westminster agrees with Deacon’s framing. Dame Emily Thornberry, the Labour MP who chairs the foreign affairs select committee, has argued that Harry’s royal blood alone justifies continued protection regardless of his working status. She made the case directly to the Telegraph in comments published alongside the broader security debate.
“We have to remember he has made a contribution to this country through his public service and heroism,” she said. “He is the son of the King, he has made a big contribution to our country through public service, that puts him and his family at risk.”
Thornberry’s comments reflect a split even within government over how to handle the estimated £5 million annual cost of round-the-clock protection. Home Office officials are reportedly wary of reinstating funding over fears of public backlash, while Harry continues to press Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood directly for updates, a conversation that carries added urgency now that he and Meghan are back on British soil.