Meghan Markle Granted First Government-Backed Security Review Since Royal Exit as Sussexes Settle in U.K.
Meghan Markle Granted First Government-Backed Security Review Since Royal Exit as Sussexes Settle in U.K.
Stephanie PetitMon, September 14, 2026 at 6:50 PM UTC
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Meghan Markle in Switzerland on May 17, 2026Credit: Harold Cunningham/Getty -
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will be given a risk assessment from RAVEC after their move back to the U.K.
The assessment will be Meghan’s first since stepping back from her royal role in 2020
Meanwhile, Harry was granted a Risk Management Board (RMB) analysis in July
Meghan Markle has been granted her first government-backed security review since stepping back from her royal role in 2020.
Following their family’s recent move back to the U.K. after six years living in California, Meghan and Prince Harry will both receive an official risk assessment imminently, PEOPLE understands.
The Telegraph reported on Monday, Sept. 14, that the committee chairman of the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC), an independent U.K. Home Office committee that determines who receives taxpayer-funded police protection, informed Prince Harry last week that a new risk assessment for him, and a separate one for Meghan, would be commissioned after their move. In addition, RAVEC reportedly asked the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to provide their schedules, including daily routines like bringing their children — Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5 — to school to inform the decision.
This will mark the first risk assessment for Meghan, 45, since her police protection was stripped amid her and Harry’s decision to step back as working members of the royal family in 2020. Meanwhile, Prince Harry, who is marking his 42nd birthday on Tuesday, Sept. 15, was granted a Risk Management Board (RMB) analysis in July, per The Telegraph, but he has yet to learn the conclusions. At that time, it was not known that Prince Harry and his family were moving back to the U.K. for an extended period.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the ESPY Awards on July 11, 2024Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty
Amid their return to the U.K., the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were granted an interim security provision, per the outlet.
Prince Harry and Meghan lost their automatic police protection in the U.K. after they stepped back from their royal roles six years ago. He has long fought for his official security in the U.K. to be reinstated, including a high-profile court battle which he lost in February 2024.
He then had an appeal dismissed in May 2025 and alleged to the BBC after that that his father, King Charles, had the power to influence the decision — an idea the palace has consistently denied.
Prince Harry’s lawyers previously said that he did “not feel safe” bringing his children to the U.K. without official security.
Before moving back to the U.K. last month, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet visited their father’s home country in July 2026. That visit included a reunion with their grandfather King Charles, marking the first time that the British monarch had seen Archie and Lili in four years.
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Before that, Archie and Lili had only visited the U.K. once after their parents moved to the U.S.: in 2022, when Prince Harry and Meghan attended some of Queen Elizabeth‘s Platinum Jubilee festivities.
Prince Archie was born in London in 2019, while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were still working royals, and Princess Lilibet was born in California in 2021 after the couple stepped back from their roles.
Last week, King Charles reaffirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not working royals despite their return to the U.K. On Sept. 7, the King, 77, directed that a letter of guidance be issued to senior officials across the U.K. government, military and Lord Lieutenancies reiterating that there is “no change” to the status of Harry and Meghan following their move back to Britain.
“To help avoid doubt or confusion, the King has directed that the following information be shared,” stated the letter, which was issued by the Lord Chamberlain at the King’s direction and was also shared with the Duke of Sussex’s team.
Palace insiders pointed out that the letter reiterates the terms agreed when Harry and Meghan stepped back from their roles as working members of the royal family in 2020.
The letter addressed Harry’s security, stating, “Any specific questions from official and State organisations about the courtesies which should be extended to the Duke and Duchess, and particularly where recourse to public funds may be required, should be directed to Buckingham Palace. Any operational security issues should continue to be directed to the relevant Police authorities.”
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Meghan shared the first look at her family since their return to England in an Instagram video posted over the weekend. The clips, captioned with emojis of the Union Jack and a heart, showed Archie and Lili riding bikes, Harry and the kids fishing and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex holding hands on a walk.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
