Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed that they wanted protection from Buckingham Palace but their security details were pulled out after they moved to North America. The Duke of Sussex said that he was informed that their risk hasn't changed and Meghan also hinted that Archie will not get protection since he is not a titled royal.
According to former SAS soldier, Harry could be specifically considered an "at-risk" royal because he served the British military for 10 years. As such, Prince Charles' son could be the target of "kidnapping, terrorism and a whole range of threats," according to the ex-soldier Bob Craft.
Because of this status, Harry will need security protection "for a very long time" more so because he had tours of duty in Afghanistan and held the Allied Forces squash the ISIS.
According to Parachute Regiment soldier Paul Biddiss, Harry and Meghan's move to the United States did not reduce their risks as there are still several armed groups in America, including fringe groups and far right-wing networks. Both soldiers assessed that the Sussex family deserve security protection.
It's the Royal Protection Group under the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) that provide protection for working members of the royal family. The security men's salaries are paid by the government of the United Kingdom's Treasury.
While Harry and Meghan did get protection from the MPS during their time as working royals, their publicly-funded bodyguards were pulled out because they no longer worked for the Crown. Reports cited that London police officers accompanied Harry, Meghan and Archie to Canada in early 2020 but the men eventually returned to their families and their job back home.
Meghan told Oprah Winfrey in their first televised interview that she begged the royals in a letter to "keep my husband safe" because they were feeling vulnerable. When the Palace declined to fund their protection with taxpayers' money, the Sussexes had to pay for their own security service.
According to Forbes, Harry and Meghan's annual round-the-clock security cost is about $2 to $3 million. They have a team of trained security experts to protect their mansion in Montecito and to oversee the locations ahead of time if they need to be at royal engagements.
The security team also monitors social media posts and other online threats. Other high-profile people also use the security as a decoy to get the paparazzi away from them. U.S. security experts said that this was likely what Harry meant when he felt history repeating because of what happened to his mother, Princess Diana, and the tabloid media.
Meanwhile, royal experts said that it would be impossible for the Charles to not provide security for his grandson Archie when he becomes older and has to out in the world because it would go against protocol. Archie stands to become a titled royal when his grandfather becomes the king. However, for now, since he's still the great-grandson of a monarch (Queen Elizabeth), he will not have the privilege of a title and security.
