Sussexes' security could cost taxpayers £5MILLION a year

Prince Harry's shock return to the UK could cost taxpayers up to £5million a year, security experts have claimed.It is not known if his security will be financed privately or by the taxpayer, but the Sussexes' decision – six years after fleeing the UK in fury – could risk a clash with Buckingham Palace, the public and the Government over the cost of round-the-clock protection for non-working royals.The family are due to leave California and move to an undisclosed location in the UK outside of London.It has been suggested that Meghan may have visited two schools in the Cotswolds when Prince Harry attended an Invictus Games event in July and sources also claim that the Sussexes could be moving to a home owned by a celebrity in the area.Harry was denied automatic police protection for his previous visits to the UK after a long-running battle with the Home Office. His security detail had been downgraded following his decision to step away from royal life in 2020.But Harry and Meghan's imminent arrival, accompanied by their children Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, is likely to prompt 'the highest levels of Government' to review their security arrangements – at huge potential cost to the public purse.Prime Minister Andy Burnham has batted away questions about who would foot the bill, saying it was a 'private matter' – but a former cabinet minister told the Mail it would be difficult for the public to swallow if the burden fell on taxpayers. Prince Harry's shocking return to the UK could cost the taxpayer as much as £5million, experts have claimed (the duke is pictured last night in Washington) The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will return to the United Kingdom for an 'extended period' before the end of the month (they are pictured in 2024)The former minister said: 'The hard-pressed British taxpayer has been forced to watch an unedifying circus and spectacle around Harry for far too long. It was first and foremost a family fall-out but, secondly, it has been a display of flagrant entitlement.'The ex-minister predicted that Ravec – the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, which rules on his security requirements – would eventually be required to look again at the Sussexes' case.'It is right that Ravec will, most likely, go through all the due diligence,' the former minister said. 'I don't know the terms under which it may be approached, but His Majesty will be quite extensively consulted, I have no doubt.'Ravec will be under some pressure here… they will consider what liabilities there may be if something were to go wrong. They will not want anything coming back on them.'The source said round-the-clock protection for a family of four 'could easily run to millions a year, perhaps between £3million and £5million'.They added: 'But the public will have key questions about those costs and those will hinge on Harry's conduct going forward.'Harry's unexpected return to the UK, announced on Wednesday night, sent shockwaves around the world, particularly given his fraught relationship with his father, the King.He is also estranged from older brother William, having levelled a barrage of accusations against him, Kate, Charles and Camilla in recent years. Harry, in an attempt to regain the King's trust, was reported to have agreed not to talk about family matters in public in future.Charles is said to have welcomed the news of his return, and Harry is keen to begin mending their relationship.The decision to come back to Britain appeared to be in stark contrast to his previous concerns that it was not safe for his wife and children to come here. When he lost a Court of Appeal challenge against the Home Office over his security arrangements while in the UK in 2025, he told the BBC he 'can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK'. The news of Harry's impending return on Wednesday night shocked the world, especially because of his fraught relationship with King Charles (the father and son are pictured together in 2022)But his change of heart raises fresh questions about whether his perception of the threat to his family's safety has changed, or whether he has paid for security privately.Dai Davies, the Met's former head of royalty protection, said the chances of Harry now getting the security he wants 'have gone up considerably'.He told the Daily Mail: 'This has changed it – bringing the family, being resident here, his profile.'I'm not saying he gets it [the protection he is asking for], but it has to be properly professionally reviewed again. There is a genuine potential threat [to Harry and his family]. This has changed the whole dynamic.'Ailsa Anderson, Queen Elizabeth's former press secretary, said the public would want answers about how any security arrangements were funded.'People are struggling to put food on their tables, to pay their heating bills,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today. 'I don't think it will sit well with the British public if they feel they have to pay for security for two non-working members of the Royal Family.'