Good Morning Britain hosts Ed Balls and Kate Garraway delivered a heated update on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during Monday's show, as ITV star Kevin Maguire fumed that the couple's security dispute was 'getting silly'.
Harry and Meghan's UK Visit in Doubt
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had been planning a family visit to the UK with their two children for the first time in four years. However, the couple are now reconsidering after Harry's request for police protection was rejected by the Metropolitan Police.
Speaking on GMB, regular commentator Kwasi Kwarteng expressed surprise at the timing: '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."'
Ed Balls Explains the Security Situation
Ed Balls clarified the security arrangements: 'He has his own security team, him, Meghan and the children. He fought a court case to say he should have a full royal police protection and he lost that case. The Independent process decides what is proportionate.'
Balls added: 'They've said when they're on the royal estate, they will have, obviously, 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.'
Kate Garraway Suggests Staying at Buckingham Palace
Kate Garraway questioned Harry's motives: '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 Calls Harry a 'Spoiled Brat'
Kevin Maguire did not hold back, fuming: 'He might be concerned or he might be a spoiled brat, [who's] just throwing his toys out the pram again.'
Maguire continued: '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?'
He added: '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.'
Kwasi Kwarteng's Verdict
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 privilege.'
Government Response
A government spokesman defended the security system, stating: '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.' The spokesman added that the protective security system was 'rigorous and proportionate'.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 6am.
