Beginning June 2, Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee will begin.
Despite some ruffled feathers, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are welcome at the celebration.
They will receive partial protection from security forces who specialize in the royal family, but there will be gaps in the detail.
Is it enough to keep the Duke and Duchess of Sussex safe from those who might wish them harm?
The Daily Mail reports that Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have been given “cast iron assurances” that they and thier children will receive ample protection during their stay.
The pair are traveling with only a small security team and are believed to have no senior staff with them.
Three-year-old Archie and almost-one-yar-old Lilibet are with them to watch their great-grandmother’s celebration.
Harry and Meghan previously lived at Frogmore Cottage, and that Windsor residence is where they will stay over the long weekend.
This is not the first time that the Duchess of Sussex has returned to the UK since the couple departed, but it is only the second.
Infamously, Meghan was the target of a vicious and racist campaign of hate — blamed for every royal problem, both real and imaginary.
That was why the couple chose to depart their roles within the royal household and the UK itself, as announced in early 2020.
Festering hatred against Meghan has not subsided, and it is not unthinkable to imagine that someone might wish to follow up on an online death threat.
Harry is determined that, unlike his mother, his wife and his children will not die due to the twisted obsessions of the British tabloids and public.
The Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection unit has reportedly been corresponding with Harry’s existing team ahead of this visit.
The protection will apply when they attend the Platinum Jubilee this week, while traveling, and while staying at Frogmore Cottage.
However, due to the complicated circumstances of the Sussexes status, this state protection will not extend to the family during private events, such as socializing with friends or going out to eat.
Harry has previously expressed real concerns about his family’s safety during visits.
Not every moment during such a visit is part of a public spectacle, and the sudden drop in protection could leave his loved ones vulnerable.
Harry has not demanded that British taxpayers personally fund his family’s protection now that he is no longer acting as part of the royal household, and offered to cover the costs himself.
However, there are (understandable) policies in place that prevent the Specialist Protection unit from receiving private funding.
(It does suck for the Sussex family, but this is overall a good policy to have; security forces that can be rented are security forces that can be bought)
While private security (even added private security) could help to make up the difference, it is not the same as having one team of state-affiliated protectors throughout the visit.
Some — those who already resented Harry and despised Meghan — have said that this is simply what they, and their young children, get for leaving the royal family.
They did leave an untenable situation, and it was the right call.
As for those who think that money spent protecting them would be a waste … how exactly do they justify the untold millions spent to protect a family of hereditary mascots?
