Duke told to give month’s notice of UK visit
Sussexes say Home Office’s demand hinders their ability to plan for effective security on their trips
THE DUKE OF SUSSEX was told he had to give 28 days’ notice of his planned trips to the UK so that his security requests could be assessed.
The Duke was told it would then be a matter for the Home Office whether the requested security arrangements were necessary, following his decision to “step back” from royal duties.
Legal papers show that the Duke hit back by demanding that the Home Office committee responsible for royal security give him an example of someone with his degree of threat assessment who had received no security after leaving public duty.
He also criticised the arrangements for his family’s visit to Britain in June 2021 for the memorial events for Diana, Princess of Wales, describing them as “patchy, disjointed and inadequate”.
Details of the dispute between the Duke and the Home Office were disclosed in documents relating to his libel claim against the Mail on Sunday, which hinges on an allegedly false claim concerning his willingness to pay for his own police protection in the UK.
The Duke is suing Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over an article concerning his legal challenge against the Government’s decision to deny him and his family the right to automatic protection. The article in February last year said he had tried to keep “secret” parts of his legal fight and attempted to “spin” the dispute in his favour by claiming he had offered to pay for protection himself.
The Duke won a judicial review against the Home Office’s decision in September 2021. A date for the hearing has not yet been set.
In a summary of his claim against the Home Office’s Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC), the Duke’s lawyers state that he is “gravely concerned about his safety and security during future trips to the UK” and that he feels he has no choice but to take legal action “given the gravity of what is at stake”.
They add: “The Duke and Duchess have been subject to intense media scrutiny, hostile social media attention, and targeting by violent extremists due to (amongst other things) the [Duke’s] 10 years of military service in the British Army, the Duchess ’s race and their involvement in charitable and other social justice initiatives.”
The Duke’s lawyers say that the requirement to give 28 days’ notice of a visit creates uncertainty and could threaten his safety.
They state: “It hinders their ability to plan for and manage his security arrangements; may lead to [the Duke’s] actual arrangements being inadequate and compromise his ultimate security.”
And they cite as an example the Diana memorial visit, claiming the Duke’s security team did not have time to strengthen the proposed plans.
The summary highlights that the Duke’s car was “interdicted by paparazzi... needlessly placing [him] in a dangerous situation”.
At one stage it was suggested by RAVEC the Duke’s security requirements could be assessed by a series of “test trips” to the UK. And in March 2020, the Duke questioned RAVEC’s assessment of his needs.
He said: “I would like … an example of where someone else has left ‘public duty’ with the same threat assessment as me, and received no security”, adding: “I was born into this and the threat will never decrease because of my status regarding the family.”
The Duke has asked Mr Justice Nicklin to rule in his favour without a trial in his libel claim against ANL, an application the newspaper said was “wholly without merit”.