An unearthed letter shows the late Queen Elizabeth II considered it “imperative” that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle continued to have “effective security” after quitting royal duties in 2020. The letter, written by the late Queen’s private secretary Sir Edward Young, was sent to UK cabinet secretary, Sir Mark Sedwill, following the Sandringham Summit held by the Queen in January 2020.
The gathering of the Royal Family at the country home of Sandringham, Norfolk, was famously held to discuss Prince Harry and Meghan’s future, after they announced intentions to step down. The letter read: “You will understand well that ensuring that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain safe is of paramount importance to Her Majesty and her family.”
It continued: “Given the duke’s public profile by virtue of being born into the Royal Family, his military service, the duchess’s own independent profile and the well-documented history of targeting of the Sussex family by extremists, it is imperative that the family continues to be provided with effective security.”
The letter was then handed down in a judgment from Mr Justice Nicklin in a libel case Harry brought against Associated Newspapers Limited over an article by the Mail on Sunday in 2022. The article was about Harry’s legal challenge against the Home Office over his security arrangements.
Sir Edward’s letter also noted that the late Queen was well aware that RAVEC (Royal and VIP Executive Committee) would make their final decision on Harry and Meghan’s security independently. But it also made clear that the late monarch felt that it was important that they continued to receive adequate protection.
Harry previously discussed his security struggle, which started in 2020, in a documentary called ‘Tabloids on Trail’ that aired on ITV. He implied that these worries were why his wife had not been in the UK and why they have not brought their children to his homeland since 2022.
Prince Harry first took legal action against the Home Office in 2020 over a decision that he should receive a different degree of taxpayer-funded protection after he and his wife Meghan stepped back from life as working royals.
In May 2025, the Court of Appeal upheld a previous ruling, supporting the government’s decision to decide Harry’s security on a case-by-case basis. Judge Geoffrey Vos said Harry’s arguments were “powerful”, but found there was not enough legal basis for a challenge.
Harry previously cited his security has been a factor in not bringing Meghan and their family back to the UK, and in an interview with BBC America following the ruling, he said he was “devastated” by the decision.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reside in Montecito, California, where they have lived since 2020. The couple moved away from the UK a few months after stepping down from royal duties and live in a multi-million-pound mansion with their son, Prince Archie, six, and daughter, Princess Lilibet, four.
