If it’s one thing the Duke of Sussex will do, it’s defend his woman! Amid ongoing legal battles between himself and the British tabloids, Prince Harry revealed the real reasons he is concerned for his wife’s, Dutchess Meghan Markle’s, safety.
Keith Robinson on His Netflix Comedy Special ‘Different Strokes’
Keith Robinson on His Netflix Comedy Special ‘Different Strokes’
In a recent interview as part of the documentary “Tabloids on Trail,” the Prince named the tabloids as mostly responsible for Markle’s danger in his home country.
“The U.K. is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the United States,” he said. “That cannot happen if there is no possibility to keep them safe when they are on U.K. soil.”
The Duke went on to explain the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures’s (RAVEC) choice to remove his family right to royal protection made it virtually impossible for him to let his wife return to the U.K. in good faith.
The Prince said he even offered to pay the costs for security but was rejected. Prince Harry plans to appeal the motion, but in the mean time, his family’s safety comes first. According to People, a legal spokesperson said “The Duke is not asking for preferential treatment, but for a fair and lawful application of RAVEC’s own rules, ensuring that he receives the same consideration as others in accordance with RAVEC’s own written policy.”
During a 2022 Channel 4 News interview, the former Head of British Counterterrorism, Neil Basu, revealed there were “disgusting and very real” terroristic threats against Markle while she lived in the UK.
“It’s still dangerous, and all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read,” the Prince said. “And whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
According to Prince Harry, the tabloids have gone out of their way to target him and Markle, which led to their ultimate decision to step away from the British Royal Family in 2020, shortly after the birth of their first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The Duke also drew comparisons between his wife’s treatment and his late mother’s, Princess Diana, tragic passing in 1997.
It’s no secret that the Duke blames the tabloids for his mother’s death, and he vows not to let history repeat itself. “I can’t put my wife in danger like that, and given my experiences in life, I’m reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too,” he said.
Since moving to the US, The Duke and Dutchess added to their family with the birth of their daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. The family has made several, but infrequent visits to the U.K. since 2020. Markle hasn’t been since Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 2022.
Despite his grandmother being supportive of his fight against the tabloids, the Prince said during the interview that his decision continues to cause tension within the Royal Family.
“I think everything’s that played out has shown people what the truth of the matter is,” he said. “For me, the mission continues. But it has caused part of a rift.”
Last year, Prince Harry was awarded $177,000 after winning a lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers. Citing unlawful phone hacking, the Prince argued the press used confidential information to publish tabloid stories, according to CNN.
The Prince has two ongoing civil lawsuits against the publishers of The Mail and The Sun.
