Prince Harry has been criticised after attending a Premiership rugby match on Friday night without his security in view. Frustrated viewers said the Duke appeared at ease without a bodyguard as he battles with the Home Office to reinstate taxpayer-funded security - a right usually granted to senior royals due to the risk attached to the highly public role.
Solo day out at Leicester Tigers match
Footage showed the Prince smiling as he found his seat to watch Leicester Tigers play Gloucester at the Mattioli Woods Welford Road stadium in Leicester, in a video shared on Instagram by PREM Rugby. He was photographed in the stands drinking a pint alongside Andrea Pinchen, Leicester Tigers' chief executive.
One viewer sarcastically quipped: "Thought he was scared to go out without massive security." A second said "he doesn’t seem too concerned" with his bodyguards. A third claimed he had gone solo since he had to pay for the security himself. "Where are the bodyguards that he so desperately needs! Oh I know because the country won’t pay for them all of a sudden he doesn’t need them," they raged.
Security arrangements under scrutiny
It is known that Harry employs security, having taken his children, Archie and Lilibet, to school in a convoy after moving back to the UK in August. He has long insisted that his priority is to keep his wife, Meghan Markle, and his two children safe, whereas the rugby trip was a solo day out.
Boos were heard in the stadium when the Duke was shown on the screen. Disappointed fans said it was not in the spirit of rugby, writing "welcome back" and that he was "just a young man enjoying his life".
Mixed reactions from fans
Prince Harry is a known rugby enthusiast, having formerly served as patron of the Rugby Football Union before stepping down. Some were keen to see him cheering in the stands, adding: "Well, I cheered when he was on screen. Fought for our country".
However, his security has divided opinions. The high-level protections automatically granted to senior royals were revoked by the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which works on behalf of the Home Office, when he left the UK and royal duties with his wife, Meghan Markle, in 2020.
It is understood that the Sussexes' security arrangements will be reassessed now they have returned to live full-time in the UK. But an overwhelming majority of Brits said they did not want to fund his security in a Daily Express poll. Some 96% of voters were against funding the service.
