The safety of the Duke of Sussex will be secured by his own team or he may be given “VIP status” by Dutch authorities during his trip to The Hague, a former head of royal protection at Scotland Yard has suggested.
Harry will be joined by his wife Meghan at the Invictus Games, which is taking place from April 16 to 22, in what will be her first trip to Europe since the couple quit as senior working royals more than two years ago.
Meghan’s attendance at the event, for the first few days, was confirmed by a spokesperson for the couple on Monday.
The trip to the Netherlands comes after Harry was absent from the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service in London last month.
Harry is bringing a claim against the Home Office after being told he would no longer be given the same degree of personal protective security when visiting from the US, despite offering to pay for it himself.
The duke wants to bring his children to visit, but he and his family are “unable to return to his home” because it is too dangerous, his legal representative has said.
A spokesperson for Harry confirmed earlier in March that he would miss the service for his grandfather, but that he hoped to visit the Queen soon.
Dai Davies, a former head of royal protection at Scotland Yard, said the idea that Harry is unable to come to the UK due to safety concerns is “sheer unadulterated nonsense”, adding that the duke is “not an expert in security”.
It is not known whether Harry will visit the UK and see his grandmother while he is on this side of the Atlantic for the Invictus Games.
I have no doubt that he will be protected, whether he takes his own team or whether the Dutch authorities give him some kind of VIP status
Asked if he would say the UK is a potentially unsafe place for Harry, Mr Davies told the PA news agency: “No I wouldn’t. He would get the same risk assessment as every other royal.
“Most of them now don’t get full-time protection or even half-time protection, so the truth is the UK is far safer than most other places.
“And with great respect, Harry is not an expert in security.”
Mr Davies said that if Harry had attended the memorial service for Philip last month he would have been protected due to being with family members.
“But he chose not to. That’s his prerogative,” he said.
Speaking about the likely security arrangements in The Hague, Mr Davies said: “The truth is I have no doubt that he will be protected, whether he takes his own team or whether the Dutch authorities give him some kind of VIP status.
“The truth is, if there’s a risk both countries – ours and the Netherlands – have sophisticated systems of determining risk.
“This country has determined he is no longer at risk. That may or may not be true, but people far better qualified than I am now can make that decision and they never make it lightly.”
Asked if he thinks the Dutch police will be involved in providing security for the couple, Mr Davies said it depends on the risk assessment.
He said the Ministry of Defence is involved in looking after royals in the Netherlands, and while there is a royal protection squad he said it is not as big or as experienced as the UK’s squad.
“But they’re very competent people, the Dutch, and I would have every faith that they would do their best,” he said.
Mr Davies pointed out that Harry is going to a military event and if it is deemed there is a risk then there will be security in place.
Harry founded the Invictus Games to aid the rehabilitation of injured or sick military personnel and veterans from across the globe, by giving them the challenge of competing in sporting events similar to the Paralympics.
