Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly seething over "double standards" after Pippa Middleton's family were granted permission for stricter security measures. Pippa and her husband, hedge fund manager James Matthews, 50, installed electronic security gates at their lavish Berkshire estate to provide extra protection for their family, despite backlash from walkers who said it prevented public access.
The decision is understood to have re-angered Prince Harry, who is still denied automatic security protections in the UK, after losing a lengthy legal battle to reinstate them last May. The high-level protections awarded to senior royals were stripped from the Sussexes when they left the UK and quit royal duties in 2020.
Double Standards Claim
While Prince Harry and Meghan reportedly understand the reason for the gate, the pair feel hard done by, since they believe they have not been granted the same grace. "Harry and Meghan have no issue with Pippa and James being allowed to have this gate – if they feel they need protection, they should have it," a source told Radar Online. "What infuriates Meghan and Harry is the double standard."
Prince Harry's reasons for wanting security were remarkably similar to those of James Matthews', both explaining that they want to protect their wife and children. Mrs Middleton and Mr Matthews live at Barton Court, a lavish £32 million estate set across 145 acres in Berkshire, with their three children, Arthur, Grace and Rose Matthews.
Security Justification
Mr Matthews said: "There are implications for my family, due to their high public profile, which means there is a need for a higher level of security than would otherwise be the case if the circumstances were different. Therefore, to improve security for my family, before we moved in, I arranged for an electric security gate to be erected on the drive."
Mr Matthews said the gates were upgraded last summer and remain closed. "Unfortunately, there has been a continued need to enhance security," he explained. However, the source believed that the Sussexes are often disregarded when they voice similar concerns. The source claimed: "He (Harry) has been treated as though he's totally out of bounds and shouldn't dare ask for so-called special treatment. Yet, the palace reaction to Pippa and James seemingly asking for special treatment has been the opposite. No one is raising a fuss about them taking advantage."
It is understood that the Home Office began reviewing the security case for Prince Harry last year. When he lost the legal battle, the Duke said returning to the UK with his family would be "impossible", adding: "I can't see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point."
