- Prince Harry is challenging a government decision preventing him from paying for police protection in the UK.
- A statement from Harry's legal spokesperson said he offered to pay for the services but was denied.
- Without police protection, Harry and his family are unable to return to the UK, the statement continued.
Prince Harry is seeking judicial review of a government decision that barred him from personally paying for police protection for him and his family while in the UK.
In January 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle formally stepped back from their duties with the royal family — meaning they also forfeited taxpayer-funded police protection. The Guardian reported that the couple paid for private security in the US with money from their Netflix and Spotify deals.
A spokesperson from Prince Harry's legal team issued a statement in response to a "leak in a UK tabloid," which prompted Harry's lawyers to respond on behalf of their client.
According to the statement obtained by Insider, the Duke of Sussex sought judicial review of the matter in September 2021.
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex personally fund a private security team for their family, yet that security cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed while in the UK. In the absence of such protection, Prince Harry and his family are unable to return to his home," the statement reads.
The statement continued that Prince Harry first offered to personally pay for UK police protection for him and his family in January 2020, but that "offer was dismissed." A second attempt by Prince Harry was also denied.
"He remains willing to cover the cost of security, as not to impose on the British taxpayer," the statement reads. "The goal for Prince Harry has been simple — to ensure the safety of himself and his family while in the UK so his children can know his home country."
The statement also noted that Prince Harry's security was compromised in July 2021 while he was in the UK to unveil a statue of the late Princess Diana. The Guardian reported that he was chased by photographers while leaving the event.
"The UK will always be Prince Harry's home and a country he wants his wife and children to be safe in. With the lack of police protection, comes too great a personal risk," the statement continues.
Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Prince Harry, 37, and Markle, 40, tied the knot in May 2018. They later welcomed their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, in May 2019. Their daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, was born in June 2021.