Prince Harry thought he could have his cake and eat it too.
He walked away from his royal duties but expected to keep all the perks.
And Prince Harry is taking his security fight up a notch after getting blindsided by one brutal reality that left him scrambling for help.
Harry’s latest attempt to get taxpayer-funded protection
The Duke of Sussex is back at it again, demanding that British taxpayers foot the bill for his security while he lives it up in his California mansion.
Harry has written a letter to Britain’s new head of security and crime prevention, Shabana Mahmood, begging for a reassessment of his security situation.¹
This comes after the prince lost his court appeal in May over the removal of his automatic state-backed security protection.
The timing of his latest plea couldn’t be more telling.
It emerged that during his September visit to the United Kingdom, a female stalker managed to get within feet of Harry on multiple occasions.
A security source told the media that "there was no police presence or close protection – it was left to two staffers from his private office to intervene."
The source added, "This time, they got lucky, recognizing the fixated individual. Relying on luck is not a long-term fix."²
But here’s what Harry doesn’t want to admit.
This is exactly what happens when you quit your job and expect your former employer to keep paying your benefits.
The real reason Harry can’t get his security back
Harry stepped back from his royal duties in 2020, taking his Hollywood wife Meghan Markle with him to sunny California.
They wanted the freedom to make millions from Netflix deals and tell-all interviews while trashing the royal family.
But they also wanted to keep the taxpayer-funded security that comes with being a working member of the British royal family.
The problem is that Harry can’t have it both ways.
The Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) handles security decisions for royals, diplomats, and VIPs based on their current roles and threat assessments.
When Harry quit his royal duties, he lost his automatic right to state-funded protection.⁶
It’s really that simple.
But Harry has spent years fighting this decision in court, claiming he doesn’t feel safe bringing Meghan and their children to Britain without official security.
During his failed legal battle, it came out that there hasn’t been a full threat assessment for Harry since 2019 – before he abandoned his royal responsibilities.
The courts sided with the government, ruling that the security committee had the right to reassess Harry’s protection based on his changed circumstances.
Harry tries to blame King Charles for his problems
After losing his court case, Harry did what he always does when things don’t go his way.
He blamed his father.
In a BBC interview in May, Harry suggested that King Charles could fix the security situation if he wanted to.
"There is a lot of control and ability in my father’s hands," Harry complained. "Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through him."⁴
Harry added that his father should "not necessarily by intervening, but by stepping aside, allowing the experts to do what is necessary."
He also said, "I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff. But it would be nice to reconcile."⁵
But the palace has consistently made it clear that the King doesn’t have the power to restore Harry’s security.
That’s because Britain isn’t a monarchy where the King can just snap his fingers and override government security decisions.
The security committee operates independently based on threat assessments and current roles.
Look, here’s what’s really happening
Harry wants all the benefits of being a senior royal without any of the responsibilities.
He trashed his family in that disastrous Oprah interview, wrote a tell-all book attacking his brother and stepmother, and moved to California to cash in on his royal titles.
But now he expects British taxpayers to subsidize his lifestyle by providing round-the-clock security protection.
The stalker incident in September proves that Harry faces real security risks when he visits Britain.
But that’s a problem he created for himself when he chose money and Hollywood over duty and service.
If Harry wants security, he can hire private protection like any other wealthy celebrity.
He’s reportedly worth millions from his various media deals, so he can certainly afford it.
What he can’t do is abandon his royal duties, move to another country, and then demand that British taxpayers continue funding his security indefinitely.
The security committee made the right call when they reassessed Harry’s protection after he quit his royal role.
And the courts were right to uphold that decision when Harry tried to overturn it.
Harry made his choice when he walked away from the royal family.
Now he has to live with the consequences instead of expecting everyone else to bail him out of the problems he created for himself.
¹ ITV News, "Harry writes to Home Secretary asking for security arrangement review," October 11, 2025.
² GBNews, "Prince Harry’s stalker ‘was found mumbling odd comments and hiding in the toilets’ just minutes before event," October 7, 2025.
³ Simon Perry, "Harry Takes New Step in U.K. Security Battle amid Stalker Incident," PEOPLE, October 13, 2025.
⁴ CBS News, "Highlights from Prince Harry’s BBC interview on King Charles, security," May 2, 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ ITV News, "Harry writes to Home Secretary asking for security arrangement review," October 11, 2025.
