The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s surprise announcement that they will return to the UK this month has reignited questions over the level of their publicly funded security in Britain.

Prince Harry and Meghan plan to relocate from the US to a private, non-royal residence outside London, with their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, enrolled to start at school in September.

Their UK security was downgraded after they stopped being working royals in 2020 and moved to the US, where they have paid for their own protection.

The Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), an independent body overseen by the Home Office, will now have to make a new decision as previous arrangements were based on the Sussexes not living in the UK permanently.

Ravec had concluded that because Prince Harry was going to be an infrequent visitor to the UK, his security needs would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the couple’s security arrangements were a “private matter”.

Burnham, who does not decide about security for the Royal Family, added: “It’s a matter for Harry and for Meghan, and we wish them well in the move that they are making.”

The Home Office has said the UK’s protective security system was rigorous and proportionate, but “it is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security”.

Security for the couple has long been a point of tension, with Prince Harry losing a legal challenge last year over how much he and his family were entitled to when visiting the UK.

The Sussexes left the UK and stepped back from their royal duties in early 2020, before they settled in California, where they have employed a private security team to protect them.

They offered no comment when asked by the BBC whether that team would be moving to the UK with them.

Depending on Ravec’s reassessment of the couple’s new permanent circumstances in the UK, the pair could now get the level of taxpayer-funded security they always wanted.

But there is no suggestion the couple are going to become full-time working royals again, so they may not qualify for the levels of security Prince Harry had before he and his wife left the UK six years ago.

Other non-working royals get only limited security, and if that happens to Prince Harry, it could be the source of further tensions.

The Sussexes are high-profile public figures, with close links to the King and Prince Harry’s military service in Afghanistan also remains an important consideration.

If Prince Harry does not get the taxpayer-funded security that he has always asked for since stepping down as a working royal, he would have to top up any security he might be given out of his own pocket.

Last year, when Prince Harry lost his bid to overturn a decision that had downgraded his security after his move to the US, he told the BBC that he “can’t see a world” in which he would bring his family to the UK due to the downgrading of his protection.

In terms of why they were moving now, a source close to the couple said the “stars had aligned” at this time to make the move work for their family.

They are described by the source as an international couple who love to travel – and for the next while they are going to be based in the UK.

As well as surprising the world’s media, it was also news to King Charles, who was told about the move on Sunday. He is said to be looking forward to seeing them more often.

The decision follows a visit in July by Prince Harry, Meghan and their children to see the King at his Highgrove home in Gloucestershire.

It was the first time the King had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years, and the couple’s first visit to the UK together since 2022.

It has also been two-and-a-half years since the King was diagnosed with cancer and in Prince Harry’s BBC interview last year, he spoke of wanting to spend more time with his father.

• Prince Harry tells BBC he wants ‘reconciliation’ with Royal Family

Highgrove has the feel of a family home rather than a royal palace – and royal author Valentine Low says a key driver of their return has been the chance for Harry to rebuild links to his family and particularly to “repair his relationship with his father”.

The couple will still keep their California home and Meghan’s work in the media and her online food business, As Ever, can be carried out from a base in the UK as readily as in the US.

Next year, Prince Harry’s Invictus Games are being held in Birmingham, which would have meant extensive travelling to meetings and events in the UK.

It will also mark the 30th anniversary of the death of his mother, Princess Diana, which will bring commemorations and events in the UK.

This summer saw Prince Harry and his family staying at the Spencer family home at Althorp and returning to the UK will be a chance to be closer to his mother’s side of his family.

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