Prince Harry and his family face threats from "far right extremists and terrorists" in the UK and he may receive sympathy from the public for his current security woes, a royal expert has claimed.
The Duke of Sussex recently secured the right to appeal the High Court's decision regarding the level of protection he and his family are entitled to in Britain, a matter which is determined on an individual basis. Following a direct application from Harry's legal team, who confirmed the prince had been granted permission to appeal, the Court of Appeal has agreed to hear his challenge. The action was initiated by Harry after the Home Office, the department responsible for law enforcement, revoked his automatic personal police security while in the UK in February 2020.
Prior to his decision to step back from Royal duties and relocate to California with Meghan Markle in March 2020, Harry, along with other senior royals, enjoyed full publicly-funded security protection. However, following his departure from full-time Royal duties, the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) decided in April not to provide Harry with the same level of protection he previously received.
But in an exclusive chat with The Mirror, Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams noted Harry and his family face significant threats during visits to the UK and he could not only see a positive end to his battle - but sympathy in the public eye, too.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: "His attempt to pay personally for extra police protection, has the obvious disadvantage that it would create a two-tier system and, as expected, failed in court. However, he is haunted by what happened to his mother and there is a threat by far-right extremists to him and his family. The granting of full taxpayer-funded protection for those who are not full-time working royals is likely to be difficult to obtain, but in his particular case, there will be some sympathy for what he sees as his predicament.
"It may well be that it is ruled that he and his family could be included in the 'Other VIP Category', but the legal costs of his appeal will be substantial. Threat by far-right extremists and terrorists too."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sent shockwaves through the royal world when they stepped away from their senior Royal duties in 2020, and moved to the United States.
They have since been embroiled in a rift with Harry's family after making a series of damaging claims. Their public comments, notably those made during a bombshell 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the couple's 2022 Netflix docu-series, and Harry's anticipated 2023 autobiography, widened the distance between them and the monarchy.
Speaking exclusively with The Mirror, Royal writer and expert Tom Quinn said: "Over the years that Harry has complained about his treatment by his family he has had just one aim - to get an apology and to see his father and brother make amends. Harry just can't see that complaining in private might work; complaining publicly just makes things worse and in Harry's case that means more and more ties to his past being severed."