Prince Harry's lawyers urge Home Secretary to act over security - Inside the Palace
GB News' Royal Correspondent Cameron Walker has analysed Prince Harry's lawyers' writing to the Home Secretary, examined King Charles's reaction to King Harald V's death, and detailed Princess Anne's surprising encounter in Scotland.
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Prince Harry's lawyers urge Home Secretary to act over security
Prince Harry’s lawyers have written to the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, urging her to personally intervene in the decision over whether the Duke of Sussex and his family are entitled to taxpayer-funded police protection.
It is understood the Sussexes, who moved back to the UK this week, are currently relying on their unarmed private bodyguards and a police liaison telephone number.
It is unknown what the latest Risk Management Board (RMB), which assesses the threat level against Prince Harry and his family, found at the end of last month.
Those findings, it’s thought, are currently with the committee responsible for deciding which individuals receive police protection (Ravec).
Ravec, made up of an independent group of Government, intelligence, police and Royal Household officials, will now decide whether to provide the Sussexes with more protection, at British taxpayers’ expense.
The question, therefore, is why Harry’s lawyers have written to the Home Secretary, when she does not have the power to order the metropolitan police to provide more protection for him.
Legally, Ms Mahmood is politically responsible and accountable to Parliament for protective security policy.
She could, in theory, ask Ravec to reconsider Prince Harry’s case and speed up the process; civil servant holidays are probably not acceptable excuses for a delay in a decision, when Prince Harry and his family have already moved into their new home.
The Home Secretary has effectively delegated the powers to Ravec, who should make their decision based only on evidence of threat and perceived risk.
So, how will Shabana Mahmood react?
The Home Office routinely refuses to comment on individual security arrangements.
Remember, Prince Harry lost his High Court battle to get his taxpayer-funded security reinstated on an ad hoc basis, visiting the UK from California.
Arguably, however, the goalposts have now shifted; Prince Harry, Meghan and their children are back living in Britain.
On the other hand, I predict British taxpayers will be infuriated if they are forced to pay for the security of two unpopular and unofficial royals.
Despite this, politicians from both sides of the House have called for Prince Harry and his family to be reinstated, but others have made it clear he should pay for it himself.
A High Court judge has ruled the police cannot be hired by wealthy individuals for their own private security needs.
So, we await the inner workings of Whitehall, used to moving at a glacial pace, to finally make a decision and put us all out of our misery.
King Charles mourns the death of his cousin, King Harald
On Friday, Norway’s Royal House announced the death of His Majesty King Harald V, the cousin of King Charles III.
Shortly after the announcement, Buckingham Palace and other royal residences in the United Kingdom lowered the flags to half-mast as a sign of respect.
A special musical tribute was also played outside Buckingham Palace on Friday, during the Guard Change.
In a deeply personal and emotional statement, King Charles said: “It is with the most profound sadness that my wife and I have learned of the death of my dear cousin, King Harald V of Norway.
“For thirty-five years, King Harald served his people with unwavering dedication, guiding Norway through times of great change with warmth and humility.
“As Norway mourns the loss of so towering a figure, my whole family join in remembering a much-loved kinsman and friend whose kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty echoed from across the sea and across the decades.
“The United Kingdom and Norway share particularly close historical and family ties, with Britain one of the first countries to recognise Norwegian independence and establish diplomatic relations in 1905.
“These special bonds were even further strengthened during the dreadful trials of the Second World War and help to bind our two countries together.
“The Queen and I extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to Queen Sonja and all her family, as Britain shares in Norway’s grief at this time of such heartbreaking loss.
“Charles R”.
King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway attended Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral in September 2022.
Senior members of the Royal Family are expected to travel to Oslo for King Harald’s state funeral, in a show of diplomatic unity.
'Keep going!' Princess Anne takes runner by surprise in Scotland
A Scottish runner was taken by surprise when he bumped into Princess Anne during his morning exercise in rural Scotland on Thursday.
Finlay Jacobs explained he was running along a remote road when a woman got out of a car near a secluded house.
The two of them said "good morning" to each other, before the penny dropped and he realised it was the King's sister, Princess Anne.
Mr Jacobs took to Instagram to tell his story, explaining that the Princess Royal encouraged him to "keep going" and not interrupt his morning exercise routine.
He explained he wanted to grab a selfie with her but decided against asking out of fear of upsetting Princess Anne's private holiday in Scotland.
The Princess Royal spent time with the King and other members of the Royal Family at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire earlier this month.
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