Prince Harry says he wants his children to “feel at home” in the United Kingdom, but they won’t be able to if “it’s not possible to keep them safe.”
At the conclusion of his high court hearing, the Duke of Sussex’s witness statement against the British government was read aloud.
Harry is contesting a decision to reduce his security protection while in the UK.
On Thursday, his lawyer, Shaheed Fatima, told the court that Harry did not accept his decision to stop being a “full-time working member of the royal family.”
Archie and Lilibet, Harry’s two children, cannot “feel at home” in the UK, according to Harry, who added that coming to America was not a “choice.”
“It was with great sadness for both of us, that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020,” Harry said in a written statement presented to the court by his lawyer.
“The UK is my home. The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home, as much as where they live at the moment in the US.
“That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil.
“I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.”
The prince also wants the court to instruct RAVEC, the group in charge of royal security, to reconsider its judgment.
The home office stated in its response that the decision was made correctly. It went on to say that because Harry is no longer a working royal, he will not be treated in the same way as the monarch and other senior royals.
Harry has been in the spotlight since he departed the United Kingdom in 2020.
In June, he sued several British tabloids for alleged “harassment and phone hacking.”