Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have faced sharp criticism following reports that they are reconsidering a planned summer visit to the UK after Harry's application for police protection was rejected. The discussion unfolded on Good Morning Britain (GMB) on Monday, 29 June, where hosts Ed Balls and Kate Garraway, alongside panellists Kwasi Kwarteng and Kevin Maguire, expressed frustration with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Planned family trip in jeopardy
The couple had been expected to bring their two children to the UK for the first time in four years. However, reports indicate that they are now reconsidering after the denial of Harry's request for police protection. Kwasi Kwarteng remarked: "I'm very surprised. This has been hanging around for a long time, and it seems odd to me that at the eleventh hour, last minute almost, that he's now saying, 'We're not coming.'"
Security dispute explained
Ed Balls clarified the security situation: "He has his own security team, him, Meghan and the children. He fought a court case to argue he should have full royal police protection, and he lost. The independent process decides what is proportionate. They've said that when they're on the royal estate, they will obviously have normal protection, but when he's travelling around the UK as a citizen, he will travel with his own security, which he pays for. But crucially, won't have the Met armed police protection, and that is what he's complaining about."
GMB panellists weigh in
Kate Garraway suggested: "People will be thinking, 'If you really want to come here to see your dad and let your dad get to know your kids, why not just stay in Buckingham Palace?'" Kevin Maguire then vented: "He might be concerned, or he might be a spoilt brat, who's just throwing his toys out the pram again. He's coming from a country that's just got guns everywhere. You're in danger there; you're not in the same danger here. The Met police have done an assessment of what they think the risks are. If there's a risk, you can get a gun guard. If they think there's no risk where he's going, he won't get a gun guard. End of. What's the problem?"
Maguire continued: "I think it's some psycho drama with him and his family here... Well, if he doesn't come, it's him. I'm sympathetic to him, more than most people... This is getting silly. You can't be that entitled to say, 'Right, I want the full police motorcycle riders, big armed teams, cars, all that provided for me - the complete VIP treatment,' when you left the country, slagging off a lot of people as you went, and you made a fortune."
Government response
A government spokesman stated that the protective security system is "rigorous and proportionate." The spokesman added: "It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' security."
Kwasi Kwarteng concluded: "He wants to have his cake and eat it, that's the thing. He doesn't want anything to do with them, but wants all the perks and privileges."
