Harry and Meghan could 'flee back to California' if denied UK security, experts claim

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could consider abandoning their return to the United Kingdom and moving back to the United States if they are denied taxpayer-funded police protection, according to several royal commentators.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who relocated back to the UK last month alongside their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are currently awaiting the outcome of an ongoing Home Office review examining their official security arrangements.

The couple’s armed police protection was formally withdrawn after they stepped back from frontline royal duties in 2020. Since relocating abroad, they have relied on a self-funded private security detail.

However, friends of the Sussexes reportedly indicated to the Daily Mail that the pair could exit Britain once again if the government refuses to grant them automatic, state-funded protection.

The reported ultimatum has sparked fierce criticism from royal analysts, with commentators accusing the couple of putting undue pressure on the British state.

The couple waved goodbye to California last month when they relocated to the UK (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for W+P)

Speaking on the Palace Confidential podcast, commentator Richard Eden described the reported stance as "akin to blackmail," warning that restoring automatic protection would carry profound financial ramifications for the public.

"The implications of this are massive because if they get it, what that then means is Harry and Meghan can come and go, and they'll still be getting police protection, and also they can say that they want it in America," Eden said. "So those hard-pressed taxpayers in the US might find that they're having to pay for security too. So it could ease any money worries that they have. Harry and Meghan would be absolutely thrilled. They'd have these huge costs paid for by someone else."

Appearing on TalkTV, royal author Angela Levin echoed similar sentiments, arguing the public should not be expected to shoulder the costs.

However, some royal commentators believe the move may be short-lived (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

“It’s blackmail, isn’t it? That’s what I think,” Levin told the network. “If the two of them now, if you don’t give them exactly what they want, when they want, I think it’s a blackmail thing. If they do go back, I’d be delighted; they are real nuances and extremely unpleasant here. Why should we pay them money for everything they’re doing? They’re not doing anything.”

The security debate remains a deeply sensitive subject for Harry, who has pursued multiple legal challenges against the British government over his security status since departing senior royal life.

Heightened safety fears have already heavily influenced the family’s daily routine in Britain.

The Sussexes have declined to disclose the location of their residence and recently took the drastic step of pulling Archie and Lilibet from their first British school after determining that the travel route posed significant security vulnerabilities.