By Ben Emos | Sunday, May 4, 2025 | 6 min read
Prince Harry isn’t just another public figure pleading for better security. He’s a combat veteran, a son of the King, and a man who’s become—through no fault of his own—a walking target. Yet somehow, in the tangled politics of monarchy and government bureaucracy, he’s been left exposed. Stripped of official protection, Harry is a royal without a shield.
This isn’t about luxury or privilege. It’s about the right to protect his wife and children.
“I Can’t Bring My Family Back Safely”
After a British court rejected his appeal for government-funded security, Harry’s response was blunt and heart-wrenching: “For the time being, it’s impossible for me to take my family back to the UK safely.”
He didn’t need to elaborate. His voice already said enough—the voice of a man watching a door close on his homeland, perhaps for good.
“I miss the UK,” he added quietly. “It’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.”
The children in question—Archie and Lilibet—are still young. Young enough not to understand borders or bulletproof vehicles. But their father does. And he knows what it’s like to be hunted.
A Sudden Drop in Protection: Stripped by the Crown, Targeted by Trump
What makes this even harder to swallow is how sudden it all was. In early 2020, Harry’s security status placed him at the highest level—comparable to what the late Queen required. Then, without notice, his protection was gutted. No explanation. No warning.
“One does question how that is even possible,” he said, not hiding his frustration. “And also the motive behind that at the time.”
Unlike retired prime ministers or even ex-presidents—many of whom keep lifelong protection—Harry was effectively told: you’re on your own. The message was impossible to miss. Step outside the institution, and the institution will stop protecting you.
And while Prince Harry fights tooth and nail for basic security, Donald Trump—never one to pass up a culture war soundbite—has repeatedly mocked him and Meghan Markle, even as his own adult children enjoy round-the-clock Secret Service protection funded by U.S. taxpayers. The irony is suffocating. Trump’s attacks aren’t harmless jabs; they fuel hostility, especially among his extremist followers.
Since 2020, Trump has taken every opportunity to turn Harry into political chum. When Harry and Meghan first moved to the U.S., Trump tweeted: “The U.S. will not pay for their security protection. They must pay!” In 2023, after Harry’s memoir Spare hit shelves, Trump called him “whiny” and “disrespectful” and dismissed him as a pawn of “very stupid people.” Then in 2024, as a U.K. court rejected Harry’s plea for protection, Trump pounced again: “He left the Royal Family, so the U.S. shouldn’t be paying for his protection.”
All this, while the Trump family enjoys state-funded security with no questions asked.
Trump’s fixation on the Sussexes—especially Meghan—has always walked a fine line between petty and personal. He’s called her “nasty,” accused her of manipulating Harry, and used their family as a punching bag to rile his base. Why? Because it works. Because they’re convenient symbols for Trump’s favorite narrative: the ungrateful liberal elite.
Every time he ridicules Harry on a rally stage or in an interview, it’s not just political theater—it’s a security threat amplified. Harry has stayed mostly silent, but the damage is real. He’s been cast, again and again, as an outsider in both his home country and his adopted one. A man caught between two nations and targeted in both.
“Private Security Can’t Replace Police Protection”
Critics often fall back on the same tired argument: Harry’s wealthy. Let him hire private guards. But he’s heard that before, and he’s done explaining.
“Private security can only do so much,” he said. “They don’t have jurisdiction in a foreign country. Police protection is effective protection—which is what my grandmother made very clear we needed.”
He also took a swipe at the widely quoted £20 million figure, calling it “grossly exaggerated by about 18 or 19 times.” The true cost, he implied, is modest—especially when weighed against the real risk.
A Family Rift That Could Prove Deadly
At its core, this isn’t just about law or money. It’s about family—and how control can be enforced not through love, but leverage.
“Security was used as leverage,” Harry said. “It’s set a new precedent that security can be used to control members of the family.”
Every time he steps foot in Britain, his safety must be negotiated through the royal household—a body he says he has no real voice in. “I am forced to go through the royal household and accept that they are putting my best interests forward,” he said, clearly skeptical.
A King’s Silence
As his father battles cancer, you’d think this might be a moment for reconciliation. But Harry says the lines of communication are cold.
“I don’t know how much longer my father has,” he admitted. “He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.”
And yet, there’s no bitterness in his voice—just a quiet kind of sorrow. “I would love reconciliation with my family,” he said. “But reconciliation can’t come without truth.”
Turning to the Government
In the absence of royal support, Harry is now making a plea to the Labour government.
“I would ask the Prime Minister to step in,” he said. “I would ask the Home Secretary to review RAVEC and its members.”
His main question cuts to the heart of the issue: If RAVEC is an independent expert body, why does the royal household have a seat at the table?
“History Doesn’t Have to Repeat Itself”
Harry has spoken often of breaking cycles—the trauma passed down, the media feeding frenzy, the way the Firm protects its own image at all costs. But in this fight, the stakes aren’t symbolic. They’re mortal.
“Life is precious,” he said. “And it is very clear that from 2020, because I was no longer allowed an official role, my life got devalued—from the highest score to the lowest score overnight.”
So now he waits, in a kind of self-imposed exile. A man of two countries. A father who can’t take his kids home. And as the world watches, one haunting question remains:
How far must a son of the King fall before his life is once again considered worth protecting?
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