Welcome with open arms: the case for funding Harry and Meghan’s safety

To all people arriving in the UK, it's important to be welcomed with open arms. This should include taking safety seriously, even when people are unpopular. It should go without saying, but Harry, Meghan and their children are all part of Britain’s community, and protection should follow risk, not popularity. Here are four things worth knowing.

1. The challenge
   Harry’s royal status, military service and public profile create unusual risks. Private guards in Britain cannot provide the same armed police protection or intelligence access as the state.

2. The proposed response
   The government should assess the family’s current circumstances and approve proportionate protection where threat evidence justifies it. Everyone deserves safety; difficult decisions can still be right. No one should have to pay for their own safety.

3. What is actually known
   Public reporting says a reassessment is required and security could cost millions of pounds. No reliable public source has confirmed funding was approved, who would pay or the final protection level.

4. What it means
   A risk-based decision would separate safety from celebrity approval without restoring royal duties. The cost, taxpayer contribution and precedent for other high-profile private citizens remain legitimate questions. Any package should be bounded, independently assessed and accountable where disclosure does not compromise security.