The cost of Harry and Meghan’s security is estimated at £5m every year.
The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex during a visit to Australia (Image: Getty)
I have to be honest. I don’t just admire Prince Harry, who served his nation bravely in Afghanistan and founded the Invictus games to support injured service personnel. I’m also a fan, whatever her faults, of wife Meghan. But I was put firmly in my place last night when I expressed this view to two friends. One, as it happens, is a Farage supporter and the other a bit of a Lefty, so their politics are different. But they both loathed the Sussexes.
They believed the couple had treated Harry’s family appallingly, and could not be forgiven until they showed at least some sign of contrition. So when we consider the return of the Sussexes to the UK, we have to remember that they provoke mixed and, sometimes at least, strong reactions among the British public. That’s why the question of their security arrangements threatens to become toxic.
It’s been estimated that round-the-clock protection will cost up to £5 million every year.
And we know that Harry previously said he could not bring his family to the UK because the Government was refusing to pay for it. He was also apparently unable to fund it himself.
The prince even took legal action trying to force the Home Office to foot his security bill, but lost the case.
However, that doesn’t prevent the Government from voluntarily changing its policy.
And it seems clear that something has changed.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said that the Sussexes’ security arrangements will be a “private matter”, but this appears to mean private as in secret.
Asked about the pair, a Home Office spokesman said: “The UK Government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate.
“It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.”
This is a stock answer, designed to tell us nothing about any specific arrangements. But it’s certainly not a denial that taxpayers are footing the bill.
One way or another, details will eventually emerge. A Government Minister will find themselves ordered by a Commons committee to spill the beans, or a talkative official will leak it to a journalist.
It might be better for Mr Burnham to bite the bullet and just come clean. Of course, nobody expects the Government to provide details of security arrangements. That would only help the bad guys. But they can answer one simple question – are you and I paying for Harry and Meghan to be here, or not?