MEGHAN & HARRY SECURITY FEARS...
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WITH tensions running high in Rabat, royal protection officers are so worried about Harry and Meghan’s safety they have banned them from walkabouts.
The prince and his pregnant wife arrive in the Moroccan city tomorrow, days after it was rocked by riots and police brutality during demonstrations by teachers over pay and healthcare.
British security services have demanded extra resources to protect the couple. And the Mirror understands protection officers have drawn up “exit plans” to get them out of harm’s way, or even the country, should there be a repeat of the ugly scenes.
Amid fears more protests are planned, a royal source said: “The decision was taken to not include a walkabout in Morocco over fears for the duke and duchess’s safety. Both Meghan and Harry draw huge crowds wherever they go in the world and they have a real propensity to get in among the crowds, interacting with them, very closely. Due to the nature of the protests across the country this was strongly advised against which they both understood.
“Reports from the country suggest protests have been peaceful but police reaction has been heavy-handed which has thrown up obvious concerns that tensions could flare up if repeated during the royal visit.
“Those responsible with protecting the royals on foreign visits have sought strong assurances security will be bolstered during the couple’s trip.”
A security source added: “Every precaution has been taken due to the changing shape of the environment.”
Other sources confirmed MI6 requested an intelligence report this week from Moroccan authorities after the riots in Rabat. That was passed to the head of royal protection at the Met Police.
Specialist projection officers this week held a series of emergency conferences with their counterparts in Morocco. One of Harry and Meghan’s protection squad went with Kensington Palace staff on a recent recce of the places the royals are due to visit. They will be keen to avoid a repeat of Meghan’s first major tour last October when she was mobbed by crowds in a Fijian market and had to be pulled out by guards after just six minutes. Officers also raised the issue of terrorism in Morocco, a nation plagued by unrest in recent months, with around 50 demonstrations a day.
In the latest flare-up, on Wednesday, police were seen battering protesters with truncheons and using water cannon. Teachers are furious at new job deals, which they claim deny them decent pay and access to healthcare.
The protests came eight years after the birth of the Moroccan Arab Spring movement that sparked a series of uprisings across North Africa.
Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37 – due to give birth next month – tomorrow fly by helicopter to the town of Asni in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains to visit a project called Education For All.
They are to spend all of Monday in Rabat, visiting an equestrian centre, attending a cookery demonstration and touring the Andalusian Gardens.
The decision was taken not to include a walkabout over fears for the couple ROYAL SOURCE ON BANNING PAIR FROM CLOSE-UP MEETINGS