Prince Harry Wants His Kids To See Queen Elizabeth, Meet Their Cousins In UK: Report

Prince Harry is eager to bring his wife Meghan Markle and their children to the U.K. for a visit with Queen Elizabeth II, but he doesn't plan on doing so before he is able to obtain proper protection for them, a report says.

Prince Harry's legal representative confirmed earlier this month that the Duke of Sussex has challenged a U.K. government decision that prevents him from personally paying for police protection for himself and his family when they are in his home country. The Sussexes are "unable to return to his home" because the duke feels it is too dangerous for them, the spokesperson said.

"Harry has his heart set on returning to the U.K. to see the Queen with Meghan, Archie and Lilibet, but that will only happen if the government takes the appropriate measures to protect his family," an unnamed source recently told Us Weekly. "He refuses to put them at risk. Their safety comes before anything else."

In addition to seeing the Queen, who is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this year, Prince Harry wants his son Archie, 2, and daughter Lilibet, 7 months, to meet and bond with their cousins, Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3, the children of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

"Harry and Meghan are doing everything they can to make the world a better place and feel it would be wrong to rob their children of the opportunity of getting to know their cousins," the tipster added. "It's obviously difficult because of the distance factor, so Harry sweetly organized a special Zoom call with Prince William so that the cousins could get to see each other."

Earlier this month, the Invictus Games founder's legal team announced in a statement that Prince Harry — who lost his tax-payer-funded police security when he stepped back from royal duties in 2020 — applied for a judicial review regarding a previous Home Office decision that ruled he could not personally fund police protection for himself and his family while in the U.K.

Prince Harry's representative argued that the duke's privately funded U.S. security team "cannot replicate the necessary police protection needed" while they visit his home country.

The claim follows an incident in London in the summer of 2021 when Prince Harry's security was compromised as he left a charity event, the statement added.

Prince Harry's move has received mixed opinions from security and royal experts. Richard Aitch, the director of operations for Mobius International Security, was among those who believe that the duke should have police protection while in the U.K. despite no longer being a working member of the royal family.

"In terms of risk, there's an argument that the government says that now he's no longer a member of the royal family, his risk is now lowered," he said on Us Weekly's "Royally Us" podcast earlier this month. "And I would actually argue, on the contrary, it has actually increased by virtue of the fact you have removed police protection from him."

Graham Yuill, who served in the Royal Military Police as a specialist bodyguard for nine years, also said that Prince Harry is an easy target for terrorists.

However, Dai Davies, who was an operational unit commander for royal protection from 1995 and a former divisional commander in the Metropolitan Police Service, and Ken Wharfe, Princess Diana's former personal protection officer, both argued that Prince Harry's request for police protection was not necessary.

"There has never been a precedent where somebody pays for their security in this country. If it's required, it will be provided," Davies said on "Good Morning Britain."