A woman allegedly obsessed with Prince Harry was discovered hiding in the hotel toilets just 20 minutes before he arrived at the WellChild Awards in west London, sources have claimed.
She was found in the Royal Lancaster Hotel toilet “mumbling odd comments” about the Duke before being removed from the premises, and later photographed standing beside his car.
Two days later, she was said to have been “body-checked” by members of Harry’s private team when he left the Centre for Blast Injury Studies.
A source claimed: “There was no police presence or close protection.”
They continued to tell The Sun: “It was left to two staffers from his office to intervene. This time they got lucky.”
The woman is believed to appear on a list of individuals with an unhealthy fixation on the Duke, reportedly compiled by a private intelligence firm for his security detail.
Her mental health condition is unclear, but she has allegedly followed him internationally, including during his and Meghan’s trip to Nigeria in May 2024.
Harry, 41, has faced ongoing issues over the loss of his taxpayer-funded police protection after stepping back from royal duties in 2020.
Prince Harry security fears grow after woman found ‘mumbling odd comments’ in hotel toilets
|GETTY
He previously said it was “difficult to swallow” being told by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec) that his security would be withdrawn, a decision he challenged in court earlier this year.
Although the Court of Appeal upheld the ruling, the Metropolitan Police are understood to have offered him voluntary protection during his September visit for the WellChild Awards.
Senior Met officers reportedly acted independently of the Home Office or Royal Family, citing the event’s public nature and the presence of children.
Harry, who travelled from his home in Montecito, California, with Meghan and their children Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, was only protected on the day of the ceremony.
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Prince Harry arriving at the WellChild Awards in September 2025
|PA
He reportedly felt “abandoned” after funding his own security for the rest of his stay.
A friend told The Telegraph that Harry feels “enormous guilt” about the potential risk his status poses to those around him, which may explain his limited time in the UK.
The stalker incident has likely reinforced his security concerns.
“It should not be left to two office staff to act as extra eyes and ears or provide a physical barrier,” the friend said.
“That should not happen. It is only going to take one motivated, lone individual for this to go south very quickly.”
Former counter-terrorism chief Neil Basu called the lack of a formal risk assessment for Harry a “mistake”, arguing his threat level remains high.
He said: “There’s even a specialist team set up within New Scotland Yard to deal with fixated threat assessments… and it is the hardest thing to guard against.”
The WellChild Awards were held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel on September 8, 2025, marking the charity’s 20th year, and Harry attended as patron.
On September 10, 2025, he visited Imperial College London’s Centre for Blast Injury Studies, where his Archewell Foundation announced a $150,000 (about £117,000) research grant.
On May 2, 2025, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision that he would not receive automatic police protection in the UK, keeping arrangements on a case-by-case basis.
Security specialists, including Mr Basu, warn that fixated individuals pose the hardest threat to protect against.