Harry and Meghan. UK Visit.

TerriBull 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻a situation neatly summed up as usual.
I was tempted to put ‘as ever’ 😂

I think she panicked when the announcement was made on the news yesterday and bailed out.
Imagine having to walk into a room where you're disliked? She couldn't face walking into a whole country when she is disliked....and I know they have a fan base here but they're in the manority.

Harry went to court last year to argue for funded protection, he lost the case, why did he think that would have changed?

Maybe because the decision is made per visit with each trip examined on its own merit?

Is it? The result of his appeal in May 2025 seemed to be a general rule, not visit specific, but I may well be misunderstanding
Friday's decision means Prince Harry's security will remain outside the automatic, high level of protection which is provided for senior royals

The only people making a drama about this is H and M. Why make a big public announcement at all? Why not just turn up? No need then for taxpayer funded police protection.
Just making a song and dance about themselves. As usual.

Jaxjacky

Is it? The result of his appeal in May 2025 seemed to be a general rule, not visit specific, but I may well be misunderstanding
*Friday's decision means Prince Harry's security will remain outside the automatic, high level of protection which is provided for senior royals*

And as we all know, they are no longer ‘senior royals’.

That was what they stepped back from, 6.5 years ago.

merlotgran

It would be nice if the children could reunite with their cousins. They’re caught up in something that’s not of their making.

Hear, hear.

If they did meet up, not sure they would have much in common though.

Absolutely totally different lifestyles.

Just because they’re cousins, doesn’t mean they’d be close.

Calendargirl

If they did meet up, not sure they would have much in common though.

Absolutely totally different lifestyles.

Just because they’re cousins, doesn’t mean they’d be close.

They should still be given the opportunity to find out.

Very re cousins...
I have about 30 (legacy of a catholic upbringing) but only see 2 regularly.
I have nothing in common with the majority of them and saw them regularly growing up...

There was never any mention of them wanting privacy in their original statement about stepping back from being senior royals and in fact they have frequently said that they never cited "privacy" as a reason.

It seems to be a bit of a distorted narrative that has become self perpetuating.

Of course this doesn't detract from the way they have behaved since abandoning their roles and their family, but it's so often mentioned when in fact they never mentioned privacy at all.

Jaxjacky

Is it? The result of his appeal in May 2025 seemed to be a general rule, not visit specific, but I may well be misunderstanding
*Friday's decision means Prince Harry's security will remain outside the automatic, high level of protection which is provided for senior royals*

He was appealing a previous High Court ruling that upheld the decision to strip him of his automatic, taxpayer-funded armed police protection. ...But he stepped down so it was deemed correct.

This means that his security is officially classified as "bespoke" - stepping "in and out" of the protected cohort, like other important people.

Every time he plans a trip to the UK, the Royal and VIP Executive Committee will have to assess the current threat levels, where he is going, and what he is doing, and when he will be doing it, and then they'll decide what degree of police protection if any is justified for that specific trip. He'll have to give a detailed itinerary of his trip 30 days ahead of any visit so that the Risk Management Board time to work out what security measures are appropriate.

Full armed security (which is what he wants, and used to have) is generally only applicable to a royal (or a VIP) attending an official, state-level royal event (eg. a coronation).

I expect he also wants to be able to pop "in and out" without telling anyone what he's doing - as he could before he stepped down.
- I obviously don't know this, just guessing.

No, I'm sure you're right Ferry - they wanted control over their public image.

They didn't want to operate under the Royal Rota system that gives British print media (and therefore the public) access to royal engagements in exchange for funding.

​In their 2020 statement, Harry and Meghan explicitly criticized this system, I think they said it prevented them from sharing their work directly with the public in the way they wanted it presenting.

I wonder what they objected to in the Africa deal that caused the late queen to pull it... I would have thought that would have suited them better as the British press would almost certainly, been less present.

Thanks NotSpagetti I,m clearer now.

You were right that he was challenging the "automatic" right to armed security though.

Now it has gone and he needs to do the 30 day thing.

I hear they are now happily on holiday in Portugal without any need for security. Strange if true.

Strange and true kircubbin.

They really need to stop courting publicity, get jobs and concentrate on raising their children....

Why can’t they pay for their own security I’m sue they have the money? They are mega moaners imo.

I think their main problem is all the dramas they've caused, coupled with their refusal to let people see the children. They've kept people talking about them and created a following of people who are intensely interested in the children. If they had really gone away to another country and lived a quiet life raising their family a lot of us would almost have forgotten about them. We've all seen plenty of photos of the Wales children so they aren't harassed and followed by paparazzi. Louis plays football in a local league and no one notices.

You can't bring weapons into Portugal either - even for close personal security - so that's odd.

Perhaps H and M had negotiated a very private visit with the childrem to KC while he's in his usual summer break in Balmoral. Full security on hand, zero intrusion by press or public. Out of sight, out of danger. Harry could leave his wife and children there absolutely safe while he did his Invictus visit alone ( taking his usual , privately hired security team that he deploys when in UK)

Meghan then messed it all up by announcing that while on the "family visit" she would be out and about in public visiting a hospital etc, playing at being a "working Royal" to force the Royal security issue and also exposing the entire RF to the risk of her public commentary to press and TV.

H and M just don't know when to shut up and put up.

Is Balmoral not the place where Harry said the bedrooms are naff?

I wonder what makes a bedroom 'naff'?