Wednesday 1 June 2022 10:19 AM Platinum Jubilee: Security experts say Harry and Meghan could remain in Windsor ... trends now
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may hold up inside Frogmore Cottage over the bank holiday and only leave to attend two Platinum Jubilee events because they are being denied VIP 24/7 armed protection from British police, experts told MailOnline today.
The Sussexes and their two young children are expected to land in the UK on Wednesday just months after Harry claimed he was 'unable to return home' because is too dangerous.
But after a secret visit to see the Queen at Windsor Castle in late April, the sixth in the line to the throne has received 'cast iron assurances' that he, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet will be protected during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations that begin tomorrow and end on Sunday. It is only the second time Meghan has returned to the UK after they sensationally quit their royal roles in 2020.
Simon Morgan, a former royal protection officer, told MailOnline today that Harry would have no way of influencing the decision made by MI5, the Home Office and the Foreign Office, even if he put pressure on his grandmother to intervene. As a result they may be forced to keep a 'low profile' during their stay and not organise their own events.
Mr Morgan, who now runs the security business Trojan Consultancy, said: 'If they are staying at Frogmore Cottage they are going to be extremely secure there and that may be why they are not doing anything away from the main Platinum Jubilee events because they will not have protection for that'.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are thought to be travelling without any senior staff and just a small security team, having left their most trusted workers back home in California, according to people with knowledge of their travel plans.
Their bodyguards, which have included those responsible for the security of Barack Obama and Michael Jackson, will not be able to carry guns in the UK and the Metropolitan Police will have primacy on security matters as soon as they step off the plane.
British officers will stand guard at Frogmore Cottage, where they will be protected 24/7. But this will not extend to private events such as socialising with friends at restaurants and pubs or going to the shops off the Queen's Windsor Castle estate.
The couple are expected to attend the Service of Thanksgiving with the Queen at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday morning - as well as the BBC's Party at the Palace the following evening. Simon Morgan expects they will be given armed protection at these events, and on the journey to and from Windsor due to the security operation planned for the jubilee.
'The jubilee is one of the highest risk events for years - and the Met have a duty of care to protect those attending, especially the royal family and foreign dignitaries', Mr Morgan said.
Harry and Meghan pictured together at a volleyball event during the Invictus Games at Zuiderpark in April
In April the couple employed Christopher Sanchez, a burly former bodyguard to President Obama, pictured with grey hair behind the duchess who kept an eye on them at Invictus
The Sussexes are expected to stay at Frogmore Cottage, where they will hold a small party for Lilibet that may be attended by the Queen
The Met's Royalty and Specialist Protection unit is understood to have spent weeks liaising with Harry's team to guarantee taxpayer-funded officers look after them as much as is allowed, The Mirror reports.
Lilibet will turn one on Saturday, with a party expected at Frogmore likely to be attended by royals such as Princess Eugenie, who is close to the Harry and Meghan, and the Queen could also pop in if she doesn't attend the Epsom Derby. It will be the first time the monarch will meet the great-granddaughter named after her.
But Prince William and Kate will not be there because they will be representing Her Majesty in Cardiff as senior working royals are sent to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to mark the monarch's 70 years on
