As soon as it was announced, somewhat unexpectedly, that Harry and Meghan would be returning to Britain, with the primary intention of educating their children at expensive private schools there, commentators – including this one – speculated that it would be a three-ring circus and that their presence in the country would be eventful, if not wholly consequential. And so it has come to pass. A mere few weeks after they touched down once again in Blighty, the dynamic duo and their brood dominate the royal coverage, possibly to the chagrin of the so-called ‘working royals’. But H ‘n’ M have long been skilled at drawing on various purses without necessarily putting the hours in, and the latest row about their security is a fine example of this.
It has been reported that their children Archie and Lilibet were removed from one exclusive independent school near their home in the Cotswolds and are now being transferred to another after a matter of a couple of days. The stated reason for this has been that ‘the decision for the children to move school was taken following a discussion with the family’s security team about the practicalities of their current arrangements’ and it has been stressed that ‘this decision should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on the school or the exceptional care the children have received there.’ Off the record, it has been briefed to various news outlets that the inevitable traffic on the school run put pressure on the security team, and that, intriguingly, ‘there is also believed to have been an incident that saw the couple’s convoy of vehicles disrupted.’
Security, and its provision, is to Harry and Meghan what daffodils were to Wordsworth, except without the joyful aspects
Security, and its provision, is to Harry and Meghan what daffodils were to Wordsworth, except without the joyful aspects. It is fair to say that little concerns the Duke of Sussex so much as the safety of his family, which is a perfectly understandable attitude. His angry attempts to get the taxpayer to pay for his personal security stems less from tight-fistedness and more from a desire to have something put in place that is wholly watertight. The reason why there is never any debate about his elder brother or father’s personal security is that it is state-funded and consequently the most stringent that anyone can enjoy. Harry, who remains sixth in line to the throne, has repeatedly made the argument that his royal birth should entitle him to the same level of protection.
The government are now at least willing to listen to him. It has been announced that a risk management board will assess the dangers that the Sussexes face and whether they should be entitled to any of the taxpayer-funded security that they so crave. Ravec, the board that is responsible for the protection of royals and VIPs, clearly believe that the couple have a case worth considering, despite Harry’s various defeats in the High Court. And so it could well be the case that, in a matter of a few months, even weeks, he and his family are given the nod. Once again you and I will be subsiding the no doubt considerable costs of keeping them safe.
Few would argue that the Sussexes do not face severe security threats, as anyone of similar public standing – ‘stature’ seems a bit strong – does. The question is whether the disruption and fuss that their presence causes, not least for their poor uprooted children, is justified by their being back in Britain. Those with time on their hands can look on various social media platforms and forums for the supposed true reasons for their return, but this is gossip and scuttlebutt. The circus has returned to our shores, and much as Harry and Meghan might like to see themselves as the ringmasters, the chaos that they brought with them suggests that the roles of the clowns might have been filled, too.
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