Prince Harry has accused the chair of the committee responsible for revoking his state-funded security of failing to inform him about a 2023 threat from the terrorist group al-Qaeda. In a letter to British home secretary Shabana Mahmood this month, Harry requested that she personally assess whether his family should receive close police protection following their recent return to live in England with his wife Meghan and their two children, Archie and Lilibet.

The letter, reportedly from Harry's legal team, alleges that the chair of Ravec—an independent body that determines which high-profile individuals warrant police protection—was aware of the threat but did not relay this information to his security detail or to authorities in the United States, where Harry was residing at the time. According to intelligence shared with Harry’s security team by the FBI in 2023, senior members of al-Qaeda had published a document mentioning his "assassination."

Harry’s family arrived in the UK from California last week without police protection. While under US security arrangements, their bodyguards were armed; however, in the UK, security personnel assigned to protect him are not permitted to carry weapons. Harry was informed in 2020 that his family would lose their state-funded security after he and Meghan stepped back from royal duties and moved abroad.

A source close to Harry expressed concern over the limited means of defense available to his current security team, noting that they "cannot even carry a cricket bat," and would be reliant on physical strength and verbal deterrence if faced with an attack. The source emphasized that with Harry’s return to the UK, the circumstances have changed significantly, highlighting that the risk is now tied not to his public role but to his status as the son of the reigning monarch.

The family is preparing for their children to start school next week, and Harry and Meghan have expressed particular worry about security during school drop-off and pick-up times. In response to these concerns, the Home Office has initiated a review of the risks facing the family.

As of now, officials have not publicly commented on the allegations regarding the handling of the al-Qaeda threat or on any decisions about reinstating police protection for the duke and his family.