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Late Queen said Harry and Meghan’s security was ‘imperative’, letter shows British Royal Family
British Royal Family

Late Queen said Harry and Meghan’s security was ‘imperative’, letter shows

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Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in July 2018 (Picture: Getty)

The late Queen Elizabeth II considered it ‘imperative’ Harry and Meghan continued to have ‘effective security’ after they quit as working royals, court documents have revealed.

Her private secretary, Sir Edward Young, wrote to then-Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill in January 2020 to explain what had been agreed after the Royal Family’s Sandringham summit.

The letter outlined the expectations the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would have when attending engagements in the UK and the position of his grandmother on these and other issues.

Focusing on security, Sir Edward wrote: ‘You will understand well that ensuring that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain safe is of paramount importance to Her Majesty and her family.

‘Given the duke’s public profile by virtue of being born into the royal family, his military service, the duchess’s own independent profile and the well-documented history of targeting of the Sussex family by extremists, it is imperative that the family continues to be provided with effective security.’

And in an apparent nod to the death of Harry’s mother Diana, Princess of Wales, he added: ‘And, of course, the family is mindful of tragic incidents of the past.’

An extract from a letter written by the late Queens private secretary, Sir Edward Young, to then-Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill on January 31, 2020 (Picture: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary/PA)

The letter outlined the expectations the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would have when attending engagements in the UK (Picture: Getty)

The details emerged in the legal judgment given in Harry’s High Court libel case against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) on Friday.

Harry is suing ANL over a February 2022 article about his legal challenge against the Home Office following a decision to change his publicly-funded security arrangements when visiting the UK.

The judgment stated that the letter did not refer to an offer ‘personally to reimburse, or proactively to finance, the cost of state security so as not to burden the taxpayer’, which the duke claims he made during the Sandringham summit.

Sir Edward’s letter also went on to make clear the late Queen and the royal family recognised that the process for making decisions about publicly-funded security were ‘independent’ and ‘are for the UK Government, the Government of Canada and any other host Government…’

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High Court judge Mr Justice Nicklin was previously told The Mail on Sunday first reported that the duke was taking legal action against the Home Office in January 2022.

A press statement issued on Harry’s behalf at the time said he and his family were ‘unable to return to his home’ due to the lack of police protection needed in the UK.

It added: ‘The duke first offered to pay personally for UK police protection for himself and his family in January of 2020 at Sandringham.

‘That offer was dismissed. He remains willing to cover the cost of security, as not to impose on the British taxpayer.’

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