Prince Harry Decides Against Bringing Meghan Markle to UK: ‘It’s Still Dangerous’

According to the estranged royal, the heat is still far too high for a return to the nation.

Prince Harry continues to harbor concerns about returning to the U.K. with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their children. In a new interview with ITV for the documentary Tabloids on Trial, the Duke of Sussex opened up about his apprehensions.

“It’s still dangerous, and all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read,” Harry reveals. “Whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, these are things that are of genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”

PEOPLE magazine has reported that police in the U.K. were aware of several “genuine threats” against Markle while she lived there. Neil Basu, the former Metropolitan Police head of counterterrorism, confirmed this in 2022, saying, “We had teams investigating it. People have been prosecuted for those threats.”

Since stepping back from royal duties, Prince Harry has prioritized his family’s security. However, stepping away from official royal roles meant they didn’t automatically qualify for U.K. police protection. Even an offer from Harry to cover the costs of security was declined.

“The U.K. is my home. The U.K. is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the United States,” Harry said in a statement to the High Court after his initial security application was denied. “That cannot happen if there is no possibility to keep them safe when they are on U.K. soil. I can’t put my wife in danger like that, and given my experiences in life, I’m reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.”

The ongoing conflict with British tabloids has further escalated the rift between Prince Harry and the Royal Family. “I think that’s certainly a central piece to it,” he noted. “That’s a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.”

Harry expressed his desire to resolve these issues collaboratively with his family. “I’ve made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done. It would be nice if we did it as a family,” he reflected. “I believe that, again, from a service standpoint and when you’re in a public role, these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good. But I’m doing this for my own reasons.”