Prince Harry was given “police protection” by London’s Metropolitan Police during his visit to the UK earlier this month.
The detail was afforded despite a court ruling in May, which determined the Duke of Sussex was not entitled to taxpayer-funded security since stepping down from his role as a working royal.
The force was said to have “took it upon themselves” to provide protection for Harry during the first day of his trip to the UK where he attended the WellChild Awards.
Officers are understood to have contacted the duke’s representatives, "without consulting" the Home Office or the Royal Family, ahead of his arrival in the capital.
Prince Harry was given 'police protection' by the Metropolitan Police during the first day of his UK trip
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“The police took it upon themselves to arrange security for him on the first day of his visit to the UK,” a source stated.
On evening of Harry's arrival, September 8, he attended the WellChild Awards at a hotel in central London.
Extensive measures were put in place, including: “Scoping the place out, checking the building, having police protection outside and crowd control.”
Police protection is believed to have been provided due to the highly publicised and sensitive nature of the duke's engagement.
“The real reason he was given that protection is because there were children there, and the event had been trailed for a really long time, so the security risk was much higher,” the insider explained.
The duke was 'left to find for himself' regarding security after his engagement at the WellChild Awards
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Harry's attendance at the WellChild Awards, which celebrated the achievements of seriously ill children and those who care for them, had been known and reported on weeks prior.
Harry was not afforded a similar police detail elsewhere during his UK visit, which the source emphasised remained an issue for the duke.
“What Harry needs is proper protection and blue lights when he's in town. After that night he was left to fend for himself. He had to provide his own security,” they said.
“If people knew the kind of threats he's been getting they'd be horrified that he's left alone in the UK,” the insider told Daily Mail.
Harry's four-day UK visit culminated in a reunion with King Charles at Clarence House
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The Metropolitan Police told GB News that they do not comment on protective security matters.
Harry’s trip to the UK culminated in a reunion with King Charles, where the estranged father and son shared “a private tea” in their first face-to-face meeting in over a year and a half.
Ahead of the audience at Clarence House, the duke was seen being sped into the London residence in the back of an unescorted Range Rover.
In May, Harry’s security woes made headlines after he lost his challenge with the Court of Appeal over being denied taxpayer funded protection.
After he and Meghan Markle stepped down as working royals in 2020, the Ravec committee, which authorises security details for senior royals on behalf of the Home Office, chose to roll back their protection arrangements.
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Harry’s security woes made headlines after he lost his challenge with the Court of Appeal over being denied taxpayer funded protection
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Harry argued that his change in rank and status within the Royal Family did not have an impact on the risks he faced.
In a bombshell interview with the BBC after the legal defeat, the duke also blamed part of his estrangement from King Charles on the security issue and said he could not bring his children, Archie and Lilibet, to the UK without protection.
Ravec have said they assess security details on a “case-by-case" basis.
Further review may be required if Harry steps up contact with his father and returns more frequently to his homeland, with British schooling for his children even believed to have been discussed.