Prince Harry will not return to the UK to attend the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service on March 29, a spokesperson for the 37-year-old has confirmed.
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The decision comes after the father-of-two claimed during a preliminary hearing against the Home Office over his police protection in the UK that he "does not feel safe" in the country.
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The spokesperson added that Harry hopes to visit his grandmother, the Queen soon.
The Duke of Sussex had previously applied for a judicial review of a Home Office decision not to allow him to personally pay for police protection for himself and his family when they are in the UK after being told he would no longer be given the “same degree” of personal protective security when visiting from the US.
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He wanted to bring his children, Archie, two, and eight-month-old Lilibet, to visit from the US, but he and his family are "unable to return to his home" because it is too dangerous, a legal representative for the Duke previously said.
The Duke's legal representative QC Shaheed Fatima said at the time that "it goes without saying that he does want to come back to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart".
Harry and Meghan now reside in the US with their children
Harry and Meghan lost their taxpayer-funded police protection in the aftermath of quitting as senior working royals in early 2020.
He briefly returned from California in 2021 for the July unveiling of the Diana, Princess of Wales memorial statue and, the day before he met seriously ill children and young people at a WellChild garden party and afternoon tea in Kew Gardens, west London.
It is understood the Duke's car was chased by photographers as he left.
Harry last visited the UK in July 2021 for the Princess Diana statue unveiling
A legal representative for Harry previously said the Duke wants to fund the security himself, rather than ask taxpayers to foot the bill. However Robert Palmer QC, for the Home Office, told the court that Harry's offer of private funding was "irrelevant".
In written submissions, he said: "Personal protective security by the police is not available on a privately financed basis, and Ravec [Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures] does not make decisions on the provision of such security on the basis that any financial contribution could be sought or obtained to pay for it."
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